Here's a recap of what's happened so far:

• The accident occurred on early Wednesday when Pawar's plane was attempting to land at the Baramati airport.
• The Maharashtra government has declared three days of official mourning. During this period, flags will fly at half‑mast and schools and government offices will be shut.
• Pawar will be cremated at 11:00 local time [05:30GMT] on Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will attend the funeral.
• Officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are expected to reach the crash site soon to investigate what led to the accident, news agencies report.
• Huge crowds have gathered outside the Baramati hospital, where Pawar's body has been kept. Family, supporters and party members are mourning the death of the leader.

We are now ending our live coverage. You can read more on the tragedy in our news story here

Joshua Cheetham
BBC Verify journalist

At Verify, we’ve been looking at flight tracking data to see what we can learn about the minutes before the crash.

FlightRadar24 shows the journey of the Learjet from Mumbai and its approach to Baramati airport at around 08.30 local time (03.00 GMT).

Just before its approach to the runway, it suddenly sped up, began to ascend, and circle back.

The plane then attempts to make a second approach to the runway, at which point its signal cuts out.

It has not been possible to locate a recording of communications between the pilots and air traffic control which is needed to reveal more about the causes of the crash.

BBC Marathi reports from the hospital where Ajit Pawar's body was taken after the crash.

Federal Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has said that as per preliminary information, visibility at the Baramati airport was poor when the aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar crashed.

The aircraft was cleared for landing on Wednesday morning after several attempts. But, having finally received landing clearance, it did not give any "read-back" or response to the Air Traffic Control and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway, the ministry said in a statement.

"Teams from the DGCA [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] and AAIB [Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau] have arrived to carry out a probe into the accident," Naidu said.

Nilesh Dhotre
BBC Marathi

Image source, Getty Images

Ajit Pawar was unquestionably the most senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) after his uncle Sharad Pawar. When the party split in 2023, the larger group of leaders and legislators went with Ajit Pawar, changing Maharashtra's political fault lines.

But in recent days, after the civic elections in Pune and Mumbai, discussions had started about a merger between the two NCP factions, led by uncle and nephew. There was also speculation that Ajit would be the leader of the united party.

But with his death, these possibilities have come to a halt. Questions are being raised about whether the leaders who left the original party with Ajit would be able to work under the leadership of his cousin Supriya Sule (Sharad Pawar's daughter).

Leaving the merger aside, keeping Ajit Pawar's NCP together will be a big challenge as he was its strongest leader, and it won't be easy for anyone else to maintain unity. And after Sharad Pawar, Ajit was seen as the link that kept the family together, if not politically, then on a personal level. That responsibility will now have to be shouldered by his wife Sunetra Pawar and cousin Supriya.

BBC Marathi has just reported that Ajit Pawar’s last rites will be performed tomorrow at 11:00 local time [05:30GMT]. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the funeral.

Veteran politician Sharad Pawar, founder of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and uncle of Ajit Pawar, arrived in Baramati earlier on Tuesday.

Cherylann Mollan
Reporting from Mumbai

Image source, Getty Images

For a large part of his political career, Ajit Pawar remained in his uncle Sharad Pawar's shadow.

He began his political career with the Congress party, where the senior Pawar was already a top leader at the time.

When Sharad Pawar left the Congress in 1999 to form the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Ajit followed, and rose through the party's ranks swiftly.

He has been an MP and MLA in Maharashtra and served as the state's deputy chief minister within various governments.

In 2023, Pawar split from his uncle's party and joined the state's BJP-led government with the backing of a large group of party members.

His rebellion earned him the deputy chief minister post but divided the NCP into two factions and ended decades of political unity within his own family.

Political analyst Abhay Deshpande says that in recent months, there was talk of a reunion between uncle and nephew.

"Now, we'll never see that day. But maybe his [Ajit Pawar's] death will bring the family together again," he says.

Alpesh Karkare
BBC Marathi

The family of Pinky Mali, a member of the crew on the crashed plane, say they are in shock.

Mali had been working on private chartered flights for the past five years and had flown with several VIPs, they said.

Mali's father Shivkumar Mali told the BBC that he had spoken to his daughter on Tuesday and knew she'd be flying with Ajit Pawar today.

"She told me that she was going to drop Ajit Pawar in Baramati and then fly to Nanded," he said. "When we heard the news about Ajit Pawar this morning, we were shocked. When Pinky’s name also appeared on television, we realised that our daughter was no more."

Firefighters douse the flames of the crashed airplane at Baramati airport.

Image source, PTI

Image source, Getty Images

Ajit Pawar's death will shake up the politics of Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital Mumbai.

Over the past few years, the state has witnessed turbulent politics, with at least two established parties splitting into factions. Ajit Pawar himself broke away from his uncle Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2023 along with a group of MLAs and formed a faction which was later officially recognised as the NCP by India's Election Commission. He then became part of a coalition that governed the state along with PM Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena.

He had the reputation of a shrewd politician and served as the state's deputy chief minister several times, sometimes jumping alliances overnight to stay in power. He had a strong connect with people and had the reputation of a mass leader. People from his constituency of Baramati, where his plane was headed when it crashed, have been sharing their grief at his unexpected death.

His party had 41 legislators in the 288-member Maharashtra state assembly. His death won't lead to the government collapsing but it will leave his MLAs without their strongest leader. It remains to be seen whether they rally around another leader in their own party or choose to jump ship.

Officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) are headed to Baramati in Maharashtra to look into what caused the plane crash, according to news agencies.

The accident happened when the plane was attempting to land at the Baramati airport. All five people onboard, including the veteran leader, died.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief over the death of his deputy chief minister. He described the incident as “an immeasurable loss” and said an investigation into the crash would be conducted.

Image source, ANI

An eyewitness, who did not reveal her name, told ANI news agency that the plane carrying Pawar and four others crashed just before the runway at Baramati airport.

She said that after rescue personnel extinguished the fire, the locals could see a charred body in the plane's mangled remains.

Police later asked locals for a blanket to cover the corpse, she added.

We're still waiting for an official statement on the cause of the crash.

Sanjay Raut, a prominent politician from the state's opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) party, called Pawar the "backbone" of the state and said his death was a "black day" for the state's political and social landscape.

"Without Dada [the term for elder brother in Marathi language], the political landscape of Maharashtra is incomplete. He had an open-hearted personality and every party worker admired him," he said.

Pawar and four others died in a plane crash in Baramati earlier today. Pawar was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to hold meetings ahead of upcoming local body polls in the city.

Supporters have been gathering in large numbers outside the Baramati hospital where Ajit Pawar’s body has been taken.

It's coming up to 13:30 in India and 08:00GMT.

We are reporting on the tragic death of Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister of India's western state of Maharashtra, in a plane crash along with four other people.

Details are slowly coming in, but this is what we know so far:

• Pawar was flying from Mumbai to Baramati - roughly a distance of 250km (155 miles) - in Maharashtra state.
• The plane crashed while attempting to land at the Baramati airport, according to BBC Marathi. The cause of the crash is not known yet.
• There were five people on board the plane - including Pawar - and all of them died.
• India’s aviation regulator has said the aircraft was the Bombardier Learjet 45, which is a small business jet commonly used for charter flights and VIP travel in India.
• Pawar was travelling to his constituency Baramati to attend public meetings ahead of the upcoming local body elections, says BBC Marathi.

Pawar's home state Maharashtra has declared three days of official mourning following his tragic death in a plane crash earlier today.

During this period, flags across the state will fly at half‑mast and government offices and schools will remain shut. Officials say all public events have been cancelled as a mark of respect.

The mourning period reflects the state’s recognition of his long service and influence in the state's politics.

Bodies of those who died in the plane crash have been brought to the hospital, police say.

"An expert team is present at the crash site," Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill told reporters. "We will provide an update after the bodies are identified."