Senior State NCP leader and former Deputy Chairman of Maharashtra legislative Council Vasant Davkhare  died at the Bombay Hospital late on Thursday night, following protracted illness. A close aide of NCP president Sharad Pawar,  Dhavkare was cremated with State honours at the Vaikunthadham Crematorium at Thane on Friday evening. His elder son Prabhod lit the funeral pyre. Dhavkare, whose wife Shakuntala died of a cardiac arrest in May 2010, is survived by Prabhod, a businessman, and Niranjan, an MlC representing the Konkan Graduates constituencyIJ.

Beginning his political career as a councillor of the erstwhile Thane Municipal Council, Dhavkare went onto become the second mayor of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) in 1987. 

After his stint in the TMC, Dhavkare moved to state politics. He was elected to Maharashtra legislative Council for the first time in 1992. Subsequently, he was elected to Upper House of the State legislature for four more terms.He was the deputy chairman of Maharashtra legislative Council Chairman for several years.

Mourning Dhavkare’s death, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said: “”He was one of my close colleague and he had good relations politicians cutting across party lines”. 

Pawar, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Maharashtra Minister Vinod Tawade visited his Naupada residence at Thane and paid their homage to the departed leader. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who had visited the Bombay Hospital immediately after hearing Davkhare’s death on Thursday night, was present for the funeral

Describing Dhavkare as “Jagan Mitra” a man who had friendly relations with one and all, said: “We lost him at a young age. It is unfortunate that he had not been keeping well for quite some time. I had known Dhavkare from close quarters. He was very attached to the MlAs and MlCs and would gladly solve their problems without cribbing. He had good knowledge of legislative procedures and would conduct the proceedings in the Upper House very well” 

Among those present at Dhavkare’s funeral were Thane’s Guardian Minister Minister Eknath Shinde and Mayor Menakshi Shinde.