After a short illness, Babanrao Dhakne, a former union and state minister, passed away in a private hospital in this city on Friday, according to his associates.
Dhakne, an 86-year-old independent political leader, is survived by his younger son and daughter-in-law.
In addition to holding the positions of Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, he oversaw a number of important Maharashtra departments while serving as the Minister of State for Energy in the administration of the late Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.
Dhakne was sent to a nearby hospital three weeks ago with pneumonia and other ailments, according to a colleague.
But when he was receiving treatment, his health unexpectedly deteriorated, and on Thursday night, late, he passed away from a heart attack.
The leader’s lifeless remains will be held for a public “darshan” on Friday, and the burial ceremonies will take place in the Ahmednagar hamlet of Pagori-Pimpalgaon on Saturday afternoon.
After meeting the then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru while still a young student in 1951, Dhakne launched his first political protest and entered politics full-time.
He has strong relationships to past prime ministers including Indira Gandhi and V. P. Singh as well as other influential figures in state and federal politics, having been affiliated with a number of parties over the years, including the Congress, Janata Party, Janata Dal, and Nationalist Congress Party.
Throughout his life, he passionately championed the interests of the Goa Liberation Movement, peasants, laborers, workers, sugarcane growers, and youngsters without jobs, organizing several campaigns, sit-ins, and protests.
Working President of the NCP Supriya Sule and other leaders have expressed their sorrow at Dhakne’s departure, calling him “an honest leader of the common masses” and noting that his loss has severed ties to the previous generation of leaders.