Maharashtra BJP MLA Laxman Jagtap dies after battling cancer

Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Laxman Jagtap died at 59 on Tuesday, party sources said. Jagtap, the legislator from Chinchwad in Pune, was suffering from cancer and undergoing treatment since a long time, a family member said.

He breathed his last at a private hospital here, sources said.

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.

Jagtap was a three-time MLA from Chinchwad Assembly seat.

Despite his ailment, Jagpat had travelled from Pune to Mumbai to cast vote during the Rajya Sabha and Maharashtra Legislative Council elections held in May and June last year, which earned him praise in political circles.

Maharashtra cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil, who is also the guardian minister of Pune, said this is the second unfortunate news for the party in 15 days.

"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.