Former Lok Sabha Speaker and ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister, Manohar Joshi, breathed his last at the age of 86 in Mumbai’s P D Hinduja Hospital after succumbing to a cardiac arrest. The veteran politician, fondly known as Joshi Sir, was admitted to the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on February 21 and passed away early on Friday morning.
Joshi, a prominent leader of the Shiv Sena, served as the first chief minister of the undivided party from 1995 to 1999. His political journey began with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and he later emerged as a key figure within the Shiv Sena, earning recognition for his organizational skills.
Born on December 2, 1937, in Maharashtra’s Konkan region, Joshi graduated in Civil Engineering from the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) in Mumbai. His political career commenced in 1967, and he served as a municipal councilor, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Mumbai municipal corporation, and Mayor of Mumbai during the 1970s and 1980s.
Joshi’s influence extended to national politics when he was elected as a Member of Parliament and served as the Lok Sabha Speaker from 2002 to 2004 during the Vajpayee government. In the 1999 general elections, he won from the Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha Constituency and later became the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
The veteran leader faced health challenges, notably a brain haemorrhage in May last year, leading to his hospitalization. Despite the setbacks, Joshi remained a resilient force in politics, leaving an enduring impact on Maharashtra’s political landscape.
Condoling Joshi’s demise, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who worked alongside him in the Maharashtra ministry, expressed that the state had lost a “cultured face” of politics. Joshi is survived by a son and two daughters. His last rites will be performed at the Shivaji Park crematorium in Dadar.
