EX-GUJARAT CM KESHUBHAI PATEL DIES AT 92
AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel died here on Thursday after prolonged illness, family sources said.
Patel, 92, had recovered from Covid-19 recently and was rushed to a hospital in Ahmedabad on Thursday following complications, the sources said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran was Gujarat’s chief minister in 1995 and again during 1998-2001.
Patel was a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly six times.
He quit the BJP in 2012 and floated the Gujarat Parivartan Party, which performed poorly in 2012 assembly polls and merged with the BJP in 2014.
AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel died here on Thursday after prolonged illness, family sources said.
Patel (92) had recovered from Covid-19 recently and was rushed to a hospital in Ahmedabad on Thursday following complications, the sources said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran was Gujarat’s chief minister in 1995 and again during 1998-2001.
Patel was a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly six times. He quit the BJP in 2012 and floated the Gujarat Parivartan Party, which performed poorly in 2012 Assembly polls and merged with the BJP in 2014.
Born in Visavadar town of Junagadh district in 1928, Patel joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1945 as a pracharak. He started his political career as a worker for the Jan Sangh. “Though he recently recovered from coronavirus, his health kept deteriorating due to post-Covid effects in the body,” said Patel’s son Bharat Patel.
“We rushed him to a hospital here after his health deteriorated today morning. Though doctors tried hard, he could not survive,” Patel told reporters.
Patel was also the chairman of the Shree Somnath Trust, which manages the famous Somnath temple in Saurashtra region.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani paid tributes to the BJP stalwart saying his death is a huge loss for people of Gujarat.
President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, “With the demise of Keshubhai Patel...the nation has lost a stalwart leader. His long public life was dedicated to improving the lives of millions, especially in villages. Prime Minister Narednra Modi also expressed condolences.