Former Lok Sabha Speaker and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi passed away at the age of 86. He was admitted in the ICU of Mumbai’s PD Hinduja Hospital on Wednesday and breathed his last at the private medical facility.
His family said that Joshi died at 3am on Friday following prolonged age related health issues. “We will be conducting his last rites at Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar at 3pm prior to which he shall be at his residence from 11am to 2pm,” a statement by his family read.
The hospital had said in a statement on Thursday that Joshi (86) was severely ill. The Shiv Sena stalwart was admitted to the same hospital in May last year after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Joshi served as chief minister from 1995 to 1999 and was the first leader from the undivided Shiv Sena to occupy the top post in the state. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament and was the Lok Sabha Speaker from 2002 to 2004 when the Vajpayee government was in power.
Condoling Joshi’s demise, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who was a member of the Maharashtra ministry when the former was the CM, said the state had lost a “cultured face” of politics.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he is “pained” by Manohar Joshi’s demise. Calling him a veteran leader, Modi said he worked tirelessly for the Maharashtra’s progress and also made noteworthy contributions as a Union Minister.
