Vilasrao Deshmukh, the minister for science and technology and a former Maharashtra chief minister, died of multiple organ failure in Chennai on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Deshmukh, 67, had been suffering from liver cancer over the past six months.
Last Monday, he was flown from Mumbai to Global Health City Hospital in Chennai, where he was to undergo a liver transplant operation. However, doctors said that his vital parameters were not stable enough for the surgery.
“All members of Deshmukh family including Vilasrao's wife, Vaishali, son Amit, Riteish and Dheeraj were by his side when the end came at about 1:40 p.m.,†Mr. Deshmukh's brother Diliprao Deshmukh told The Economic Times on Tuesday.
The funeral is to be held Wednesday afternoon in Mr. Deshmukh's home village of Babhalgaon.
Mr. Deshmukh's rapid rise in politics, from a grass-roots politician to a central government minister, was well known. He was born in Babhalgaon, a small village in the Latur district of Maharashtra, on May 26, 1945. He left his village to study in Pune, where he graduated from M.E.S. Abasaheb Garware College and went on to study law at I.L.S. Law College.
He returned to his village to enter politics in 1974 and became sarpanch, or head of the village council. From there he navigated his way through Maharashtra politics to become a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1980 and again in 1985 and 1990.
Mr. Deshmukh, often described as a Congress loyalist, faced opposition both from within the Congress Party and other quarters, and his path to the post of chief minister was lined with obstacles. In 1999, he was finally elected as chief minister of Maharashtra and was re-elected in 2004.
His terms as chief minister were not without controversies. He was accused of giving land clearances in violation of environmental regulations to the Adarsh housing society in Mumbai. He also faced severe criticism for visiting the Taj Mahal Hotel after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 with his actor son, Riteish, and the filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma. The outcry forced him to resign, after which he moved to New Delhi.
Once in New Delhi, Mr. Deshmukh was named the minister for heavy industries and public enterprises. Later he became the minister for rural development. In July 2011, he became the minister of science and technology and the minister of earth sciences.
While his career saw many ups and downs, the Indian media called him “a political craftsman adept at turning challenges into opportunities.â€
Mr. Deshmukh has been described as an “affable man, always with a smile,†one who had an uncanny ability for public speaking. He had often voiced his desire to take his home state Maharashtra to great heights, saying that he dreamed of making Mumbai into a Shanghai.
The death of Mr. Deshmukh, who was well respected in political circles, drew an outpouring of tributes. “Mr. Deshmukh was a trusted colleague and an able administrator who worked at panchayat, state and central levels with admirable dedication,†Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in his condolence message.
Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra, said, “Indian politics has lost a very able leader. I personally feel the loss of a dear friend. His rise from a village sarpanch to a Union minister is an inspiring story.â€
