Laxman Jagtap, BJP MLA from Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra, on Tuesday died at the age of 59 after battling cancer. Jagtap, who was undergoing treatment since a long time, breathed his last at a private hospital in Pune, PTI reported citing sources. Jagtap was a three-time MLA from Chinchwad Assembly seat.
Jagpat was lauded in the political circles for travelling from Pune to Mumbai to cast his ballot in the Rajya Sabha and Maharashtra Legislative Council elections that were held in May and June of last year.
This is the second unfavourable development for the party in 15 days, according to Chandrakant Patil, a cabinet minister for Maharashtra who also serves as the guardian minister for Pune.
The BJP has lost two MLAs from the state within a fortnight. On December 22, Mukta Tilak, the party legislator from Kasba seat in Pune, had passed away.
"After Tilak's death, this is the second shock for all BJP workers. We all live like a family and the passing away of Jagtap is like losing a family member," he said.
Jagtap battled a serious ailment like cancer with his fighting spirit but a month back, his condition became critical, Patil said.