BJP leader and Member of Parliament Shri Girish Bapat is no more. He passed way in Pune on March 30 due to prolonged illness. He was 73 years old. Shri Bapat breathed his last at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune where he was being treated for breathing-related issues.
He was Lok Sabha member from Pune City, he was credited with strengthening the party base in the district. Shri Bapat was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019 general elections. Prior to that, he was elected to state Legislative Assembly for five times consecutively, from 1995 to 2014, from Kasba Peth seat. He was a state minister in BJP-led government from 2009 to 2014 under the then Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis. Shri Bapat was in jail for 19 months during the Emergency. He also worked as a labourer in Telco company where he was an active Union member.
Shri Bapat entered politics in the 1980s and was elected to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) as a corporator in his first attempt in 1983. He was elected a corporator three times in a row before being elected as an MLA from Kasba Assembly constituency. After that he won the Lok Sabha election from Pune city in 2019. Political leaders across party lines condoled the demise of the leader and paid their last respect.
Maharashtra government gave Bapat state funeral with full honours. The BJP National President Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda condoling the demise of Shri Bapat said, “The news of the demise of senior BJP leader and Pune MP Girish Bapat ji is extremely sad. His entire life was devoted to public service and the organization. In this hour of grief, the BJP family is with the bereaved family members. May God give the departed soul place at his Shree feet. Om Shanti!
BJP State President Shri Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Bapat was a leader who had risen from the ranks and kept his ground connect intact. “His astute understanding of politics and people’s need was always something to be emulated by other,” he said. Deputy Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis said Shri Bapat was a leader with no enemies.