Mumbai, Jan 3 (PTI) Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Laxman Jagtap died at 59 on Tuesday after suffering from cancer, sources said.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde termed Jagtap’s death as “mind-numbing”, while Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis called it “heart-wrenching”.
Jagtap, the legislator from Chinchwad in Pune, was undergoing treatment since a long time, a family member said.
He breathed his last at a private hospital here, sources said.
The BJP has lost two MLAs from the state within a fortnight.
On December 22, Mukta Tilak, the party legislator from Kasba seat in Pune, had passed away.
Jagtap was a three-time MLA from Chinchwad Assembly seat.
Despite his ailment, Jagpat had travelled from Pune to Mumbai to cast vote during the Rajya Sabha and Maharashtra Legislative Council elections in June last year, which earned him praise in political circles.
CM Shinde expressed grief over Jagtap’s demise and said he constantly worked for the betterment of his constituency.
“His death is mind-numbing,” Shinde said.
Senior BJP leader Fadnavis also expressed condolences and recalled how Jagtap came to the state legislature wearing a PPE kit to vote during the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council polls last year.
Jagtap and Tilak had received praise for casting votes despite failing health. The BJP had snatched a seat each from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi in both the polls.
“The party has suffered a great loss with Jagtap’s demise. As a mayor and MLA, he contributed a lot in the process of development. The news of Laxmanbhau Jagtap’s death is very sad and heart-wrenching. I pay my humble respects to him,” Fadnavis said.
“I pray to God to give strength to his family, loved ones and friends to bear this suffering,” he added.
Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil, who is also the guardian minister of Pune, said this is the second unfortunate news for the party in 15 days.
“After Tilak’s death, this is the second shock for all BJP workers. We all live like a family and the passing away of Jagtap is like losing a family member,” he said.
Jagtap battled a serious ailment like cancer with his fighting spirit but a month back, his condition became critical, Patil said.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar also expressed grief over the demise of Jagtap and said as a public representative he worked passionately to address people’s issues.
Jagtap’s work in political and social life will always be remembered and he contributed a lot to the development of Pimpri-Chinchwad city, said Pawar. PTI PR NR GK GK
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