Manohar Joshi, former chief minister of Maharashtra and former speaker of Lok Sabha, passed away in Mumbai at 86 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was the first CM of the state who was not from Congress party (1995-1999) when the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition came to power. Later, Joshi served as the Speaker of the Lower House (2002-2004) under former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Born on 2 December 1937, he began his political career when he contested in the election Legislative Council from the Shiv Sena party in 1972. He became the Mayor of Mumbai during 1976 to 1977 and in 1990, Joshi was elected to the Legislative Assembly from a Shiv Sena ticket in 1990.

In a tribute to Late Manohar Joshi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he was pained by the passing of the “veteran leader who spent years in public service and held various responsibilities at the municipal, state and national level.”

“As Maharashtra CM, he worked tirelessly for the state’s progress. He also made noteworthy contributions as a Union Minister. During his tenure as the Lok Sabha Speaker, he strove to make our Parliamentary processes more vibrant and participative,” PM stated in a post on X.

Modi also said that Joshi will be remembered for his diligence as a legislator, having had the honour of serving in all four legislatures.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed his condolences to the bereaved family of Manhar Joshi and said that former speaker’s death is a personal loss for him. “Studying his methodology guided me in the smooth functioning of the House,” Birla said.

“Enriching democratic values, he established the best parliamentary traditions. Due to his distinctive and fair style of running the House, he had the respect of leaders of all parties,” the present Speaker added.