Maharashtra BJP stalwart and Cabinet Minister Pankaja Munde dodged disaster when her helicopter suffered a sudden technical snag moments before departing Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for Latur. The fault, detected during routine inspections, spared her a potentially fatal mid-air mishap during her district council election tour.
Scheduled for Tuesday’s high-profile rallies, Munde’s travel plans were upended. She addressed gatherings in Bajajnagar the previous day, rallying support for BJP hopefuls in groups 49, 50, and 51, including Daulatabad. The abrupt cancellation forced rescheduling of Latur events, highlighting the unpredictability of campaign logistics.
No specifics on the glitch have emerged, fueling speculation and calls for rigorous safety audits. This episode echoes the fresh trauma of Ajit Pawar’s fatal crash on January 28, when his plane smashed on Baramati runway while he campaigned for panchayat polls. Five lives were lost, including Pawar’s.
Baramati mourned deeply, with thousands bidding farewell at Vidya Pratishthan Ground the next day. Sunetra Pawar stepped into her late husband’s shoes as Deputy CM, inheriting critical departments amid ongoing grief.
Munde’s team is scrambling to realign her aggressive campaign push, vital for BJP’s foothold in local elections. The incident raises broader alarms on air travel reliability for leaders crisscrossing the state, demanding immediate regulatory intervention to avert future tragedies.