Laxman Jagtap, a BJP lawmaker who was popular in the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, passed away on Tuesday morning at a Baner private hospital after a protracted illness. He was 59.
The three-time Chinchwad MLA was placed on ventilator support when he was admitted to a private hospital more than two months ago.
Around 2 o’clock, the body will be carried to his Pimple Gurav home, where the public can pay their respects between 3 and 6 o’clock. A family member announced that the funeral would start at 7 o’clock.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde paid respect, stating that Laxman Jagtap was a prominent politician from Pimpri-Chinchwad. He was recognized for the development he did in his constituency as an MLA. The BJP has lost a strong leader and a devoted supporter with his passing.
Jagtap, a fitness enthusiast, was diagnosed with a terrible illness two years ago, and as a result, his health began to deteriorate. However, according to his close aides, he persisted in going to party meetings and rallies and working on development projects in his district.
In the very first Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) election, Jagtap was elected as a corporator in 1986. In 2000, he was elected mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad, and he later served as head of the standing committee. (Also read: Youtube Star And Professional Rally Driver Ken Block Dies At Age 55 In A Snowmobile Accident)
Jagtap joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 1999 after beginning his political career with Congress. According to a close aide, he was regarded as NCP leader Ajit Pawar’s trusty deputy, “who had handed him complete control of the Pimpri-Chinchwad civic body.”
Even though Jagtap ran as an independent candidate in the Pune local self-government constituency, he was chosen to serve in the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 2004.
Jagtap switched to the BJP in 2014, and in 2019 he helped the party win the PCMC for the first time. He played a significant role in the BJP’s taking control of PCMC for the first time in more than three decades. (Also read: This Couple, Hrithik Roshan And Saba Azad Welcome The New Year With Flying Lanterns)
He played a key role in the BJP’s emergence in Pimpri-Chinchwad from near extinction. Sarang Kamtekar, a leader in the BJP, claimed that he had taken the PCMC from the Pawar family.
Jagtap was elected as an MLA in 2009 for the recently created Chinchwad constituency. He stood for Lok Sabha in the Maval district in 2014, but Shiv Sena candidate Shrirang Barne defeated him. He only ever lost once in his political career, and it was this one. In the 2019 elections, Jagtap won a third term as an MLA.