Thousands of farmers, workers and people from different walks of life turned out for the last journey of eleven-time MLA and senior leader of Peasants & Workers Party (PWP) senior leader Ganpatrao Annasaheb Deshmukh, who was cremated on Saturday afternoon, with full State honours at Sangola in Solapur district of western Maharashtra.
The body of Abba, as Ganpatrao Deshmukh was fondly known as in the state political circles, was kept for darshan for a few hours in the morning at the Sangola Agricultural
Marketing Committee office, where thousands of his supporters, admirers and constituents had a last glimpse of him.
Subsequently, his mortal remains were taken in a procession through the streets of Sangola to his residence, where former State Minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil, PWP leader Jayant Patil, former minister Ram Shinde, local MLAs, MPs and hundreds of his supporters had gathered.
After his wife Ratnabai, daughter-in-law and other family members had a last glimpse, the funeral journey began from his residence. Given that he was very popular among the people of Sangola and its surrounding areas in Solapur, more than 30,000 people turned out for Deshmukh’s funeral procession,
Deshmukh, who died on Friday evening after a few days of hospitalisation, was accorded full state honours as he was cremated later in the afternoon. His eldest son Popatrao, second son Chandrakant, his grandsons Dr Babasaheb and Dr Aniket lit the funeral pyre, amid chants of “Abbasaheb Amar Rahe”.
Deshmukh was the second longest-serving MLA in the country after later DMK chief and Tamil Nadu’s former chief minister M Karunanidhi.
Ninety four-year-old Deshmukh was one of the most honest politicians that Maharashtra has produced ever since the formation of the state in 1960. He contested the State Assembly elections for the first time in 1962. Such was his popularity among his constituents that
In October 2014, Deshmukh created a record of sorts when he was elected to the State Assembly for his 11th term. Such was his popularity among his constituents that amid an intense saffron wave sweeping the state, Deshmukh romped comfortably, trouncing Shahajibapu Patil of the Shiv Sena by a margin of 25,224 votes.
An excellent legislator who raised and spoke about the issues of public issues in the State Assembly, Deshmukh was widely respected both in the House and also in the state political circles. Whenever he rose to speak or intervene in the Assembly, the ministers yielded to him as a mark of respect for him.
Deshmukh was a Minister of State twice in the Maharashtra government – once in the coalition Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) government led by Sharad Pawar in 1978 and second time in the Congress-NCP combine led Democratic Front (DF) government in 1999.
