Ex-Maharashtra minister Mahadeorao Shivankar passes away at 85

Gondia, Oct 20 (PTI) Former minister and veteran BJP leader Mahadeorao Sukhaji Shivankar died after a prolonged illness in Maharashtra's Gondia district on Monday, family sources said.

Shivankar (85) breathed his last at his residence in Amgaon in the early hours of the day, his son Vijay Shivankar said.

He was a five-time MLA from the Amgaon constituency and had represented the Chimur constituency in the Lok Sabha.

The veteran leader also served as the national president of the BJP farmers' cell.

Shivankar had announced the bifurcation of Bhandara district and the formation of the new Gondia district on January 26, 1999.

He served as the state irrigation and finance minister in the Manohar Joshi government in Maharashtra in the 1990s.

Shivankar is survived by his sons, Vijay and Sanjay Shivankar, and a daughter.

The last rites will be conducted at Sakhritla Ghat in Amgaon on Tuesday, and the funeral procession will begin at 10 a.m. from Shivankar's residence. PTI COR ARU