Lok Sabha MP and senior BJP leader Girish Bapat passed away in Pune Wednesday after suffering from a prolonged illness. He was 73.
Bapat was critically ill and had been on life support, as per a statement from the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in the city. He was suffering from breathing problems for the past few months and had been undergoing dialysis at the hospital.
“Girish Bapat, the honourable Member of Parliament, is admitted to the ICU at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune. He is critically ill and is presently on life support treatment. A team of doctors is monitoring him very closely,” the hospital had said in a 10.30 am bulletin.
Confirming the news of his demise, Pune BJP president Jagdish Mulik said that the last rites of Bapat will be performed at 7 pm at the Vaikunth Crematorium in the city. His mortal remains will be kept at his residence in Shaniwar Peth between 2 pm and 6 pm.
In a tweet, BJP leader Harshvardhan Patil said, “Pune Lok Sabha BJP MP and former state minister Girishji Bapat passed away today. My heartfelt tributes to him”.
पुणे लोकसभा भाजपा खासदार व राज्याचे माजी मंत्री मा. गिरीषजी बापट यांचे आज दुःखद निधन झाले. मा.गिरीशजी बापट यांना भावपुर्ण श्रद्धांजली!#GirishBapat @MPGirishBapat @BJP4India @BJP4Maharashtra @BJPPune pic.twitter.com/mK7SIi9vgq
— Harshvardhan Patil (@Harshvardhanji) March 29, 2023
Girish Bapat was elected as an MLA from the Kasba Peth constituency five times, after which he became an MP from Pune in 2019. Mukta Tilak replaced Bapat as the MLA in the constituency. BJP lost the recently concluded by-polls, necessitated after Tilak’s untimely death. Bapat was largely being out of the campaign due to ill health.
The BJP leader began his career as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker and was put in jail for 18 months during the Emergency in India. In 1983, Bapat entered politics and was elected to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) as a corporator. He became an MLA for the first time in 1995 and was re-elected for the next four terms.
Bapat served as the Cabinet minister for food, civil supplies and consumer protection, food and drugs administration, and parliamentary affairs in the 2014-19 Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government in Maharashtra. He was also Pune’s guardian minister at this time.
During the leader’s treatment, senior politicians including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis visited Bapat to enquire about his health. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited his house last month.
