Maharashtra agriculture minister Pandurang Phundkar dies of heart attack
Pandurang Phundkar (right) breathed his last at around 4.35 am on Thursday (Picture: Twitter)
Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Pandurang Phundkar died in Mumbai on Thursday following a massive heart attack.
According to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) official, Phundkar was admitted to the KJ Somaiya Hospital on Wednesday where his condition reportedly deteriorated and was followed by the massive heart attack.
The 67-year-old breathed his last at around 4.35 am.
Top Bharatiya Janata Party state and central leaders have expressed shock and grief over Phundkar’s sudden demise. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other senior leaders will visit the hospital to pay their last respects.
Phundkar, who had earlier served as the state president of BJP, was born in 1950 in Khamgaon village in Buldhana district of Maharashtra. His body is likely to be taken to his native village for the last rites later today.
The senior leader was elected as the member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from Khamgaon (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in 1978 and 1980. He was sworn in as a Cabinet Minister in Devendra Fadnavis government on July 8, 2016.
