Manohar Joshi, ex-Union minister & first Shiv Sena CM, dies at 86

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena veteran and the first chief minister of a saffron govt in Maharashtra, Manohar Joshi died Friday morning. Joshi, who had suffered a cardiac arrest two days earlier, was 86 and had been ailing for a while. He was given a guard of honour and a state funeral.

A close aide of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Joshi's political career spanned more than five decades. Starting out as a teacher, Joshi rose from being a BMC corporator to mayor and then MLC and MLA before becoming the first Shiv Sena CM. He was later the Union minister of heavy industries and then Lok Sabha Speaker. He was also a Rajya Sabha MP. He was not very active in politics for some time now.


His funeral was conducted at Shivaji Park crematorium Friday evening. Chief minister Eknath Shinde, governor Ramesh Bais, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP's Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and MNS supremo Raj Thackeray were among those who visited his Matunga Road residence to pay their last respects.

Joshi had two major political setbacks. The first was in 1999 when he had to step down as CM following a row over the allotment of land reserved for a school to a firm associated with his son-in-law in Pune in 1998. The second was in 2004 when he was defeated by veteran Dalit leader Eknath Gaikwad in the LS elections from South Central constituency.

The land controversy damaged his career. Bombay HC set aside the allotment, and SC confirmed the order. Thackeray then sent him a brief message, saying he should quit. Joshi never questioned Thackeray's decision. He had never asked why he was chosen for the chief minister's post and when asked to resign, he said he would follow orders.

Joshi was named in the report of the Justice Srikrishna Commission, which probed the 1992-1993 communal riots. Joshi outrightly rejected the report.

For Joshi, the biggest challenge was to form a govt after the 1995 assembly polls. Though the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance emerged as the largest bloc, it fell short of a majority. With the help of his friends in Congress, Joshi then mobilised the support of 18 independents led by Harshavardhan Patil and Anil Deshmukh and formed the govt.

Joshi had to accommodate at least six of them in the cabinet while the rest of them were adjusted on state-run boards and corporations.


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