Former state assembly speaker Babasaheb Kupekar passes away

Senior NCP leader and former speaker of the state legislative assembly Babasaheb Kupekar passed away at Jaslok Hospital, Peddar Road, on Wednesday morning.

Senior NCP leader and former speaker of the state legislative assembly Babasaheb Kupekar passed away at Jaslok Hospital, Peddar Road, on Wednesday morning.

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Kupekar died of cancer. The 70-year old was admitted to the hospital a month ago and had been in the ICU ever since.

Kupekar, whose real name was Krishnarao Rakhmajirao Desai is survived by his wife and three daughters.

He started his political career in 1966 as the president of the youth congress of Kolhapur district and became a sarpanch for the first time in 1965. His career in state politics took when he was elected as an MLA in 1995 from the Gadhinglaj constituency.

From 1999 to 2004, he served as minister of state for cooperation, environment, labour and industries after which was elevated as the speaker of the Legislative Assembly. In 2009, he was made the chairman of the state Planning Commission.

“As a former speaker and head of the state Planning Commission, he always thought of the common man…Kupekar was a farmer by profession and was proud of it. He believed in modern methods of farming and always promoted them,” said chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday.

NCP leader and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who resigned on Tuesday following the irrigation scam, said that Kupekar’s death was a huge loss for party and for the state.

“He was a forward-looking leader and always strived to bring balance and justice in his decisions,” he said.