Did these Instagram astrologers predict Ajit Pawar's plane crash? Appeal to cancel flights goes viral

The nation is grieving the untimely demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on Wednesday morning. The chartered Learjet 45, operated by VSR Aviation, crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport.

The private aircraft was carrying Ajit Pawar along with two staff members, his personal security officer, and two crew members. Pawar was travelling to Baramati to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that all five people on board lost their lives in the crash. The deceased include pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, aircraft attendant Pinky Mali, and Ajit Pawar.

Ajit Pawar's cremation will be held in Baramati at 11 am on Thursday. The Maharashtra government has announced a three-day state mourning, and all schools and colleges across the state will remain closed until January 30.

Thousands of supporters and followers have gathered in Baramati to pay their final respects to the late leader.

Instagram astrologers predicted Ajit Pawar's death?

As Maharashtra mourns the tragic loss, social media platforms, especially Instagram, are flooded with posts by self-proclaimed astrologers claiming they had predicted the accident in advance. Several of them are resharing old videos and posts, alleging they foresaw the death of a politician or warning people against air travel.

An old video of a self-styled astrologer has gone viral, in which he claims to have predicted Ajit Pawar's death nearly 25 days earlier. In the video, dated January 2, the astrologer is heard saying that a plane crash would occur in India between January 28 and March, claiming it was his job to predict such events.

In a social media post on November 8, 2025, Prashant Kini had predicted that between December 2025 and February 2026, a person who had served as a chief minister or a Union minister might be killed.

"Some Indian veteran politicians who once served as Chief Minister or Central Minister may perish in between December 2025 to February 2026...!!," the tweet had read.

Soon after the news of Pawar's death, the astrologer claimed in a tweet that his prediction had come true.

"I have predicted one veteran Politician will die in between December 2025 to February 2026....!! Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister AJIT PAWAR died in a Air crash...!!"

Another astrologer, Dr Y Rakhi, also claimed to have predicted the death of a politician, attributing it to planetary positions and stating that 2026, being the Sun's year, could lead to untimely deaths.

In a social media post, he wrote, "Some Indian veteran politicians who once served as Chief Minister or Central Minister may perish between December 2025 and February 2026."
Following Ajit Pawar's death, the astrologer claimed the prediction referred to him.

Netizens have mixed reactions to predictions

Several Instagram reels advising people to cancel flight tickets are also going viral. One such video, shared by an account named astrologrankittyagiofficial, has garnered millions of views and thousands of reactions.

Social media users have responded sharply, with many criticizing the astrologers for exploiting tragedy. While some users commented that the prediction was "correct," others questioned the ethics of predicting death.

One user wrote, "If you are a genuine astrologer, you should have clearly mentioned who and from which state."

Another said, "Why do you sound excited? This is not something to celebrate."

Several users also argued that predicting death is unethical and irresponsible, particularly during a time of public mourning.

Who was on board the aircraft?

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Vidip Jadhav (Personal Security Officer), Pinky Mali (Aircraft Attendant), Captain Sumit Kapoor (Pilot), Shambhavi Pathak (Co-pilot)

Wikipedia controversy

Amid the chaos, some users pointed out that Ajit Pawar's Wikipedia page briefly reflected his date of death as January 27, 2026, one day before the crash, before being corrected. The update has further fuelled speculation across social media platforms.