Latur,

12 Dec (HS): Senior Congress leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj

Patil Chakurkar, passed away at his residence in Latur on Friday at the age of

90. He was facing health issues for last few days.

Retired from active politics, Shvraj Patil was in

Congress since beginning of his political career and had a studious and clean

image.

Born on October 12, 1935, at Chakur village in Latur

District, he obtained a degree in science from Osmania University and degree in

Law from Mumbai University. He entered politics in 1967 through Latur municipal

elections. In 1980 he was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1980

and then represented the constituency seven times till 1999. An influential

leader he handled Defence, Commerce, Science and Technology, Atomic Energy,

Electronics and Space Ministries during the regime of Indira Gandhi and Rajeev

Gandhi. From 1991 to 1996 he was the Speaker of Lok Sabha. He led various Indian

delegations in international conferences. Following terrorist attack on Mumbai

he owned moral responsibility of security lapse and resigned on November 30,

2008. He also worked as Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh from

2010 to 2015.

A member of Lingayat sect he married Vijaya Patail in

1963. They had a son and a daughter. His daughter-in-law Dr Archana Patil

Chakurkar is active in politics.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar