Year Ender 2019: Politicians Who Breathed Their Last This Year

Dec 24, 2019, 19:06 IST

The year 2019 saw the demise of several politicians who were stalwarts in their own rights. Condolences had poured in across all quarters for these revered politicians. At this year comes to an end, we look back at the politicians who passed away and remember them.

Arun Jaitley

BJP veteran and former finance minister Arun Jaitley passed away on August 24 in New Delhi at the age of 66 due to age-related ailments.

Suave, articulate and a super strategist, Arun Jaitley was the BJP’s and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chief trouble-shooter whose superb four-decade-long political career was cut short by health issues.

Sushma Swaraj

BJP leader and former external affairs minister in the Modi 1.0 government, Sushma Swaraj passed away on August 6 after a massive cardiac arrest at the age of 67. The former EAM struck a chord with all with her round-the-clock activeness of social media platforms more so on micro-blogging site Twitter.

She was MP seven times and three times, Swaraj has been Member of Legislative Assembly.

Sheila Dikshit

At the age of 81, Congress veteran and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit breathed her last on July 20. She passed away due to age-related ailments. Sheila Dikshit has been the longest-serving Delhi CM.

Manohar Parrikar

Former Goa Chief Minister Parrikar died on March 17 at the age of 63 after fighting a prolonged battle with pancreatic cancer. A BJP man, he held the CM post in the state from 2000-2005, 2012-14, and from 2014-17.

KM Mani

Kerala Congress veteran and former state Finance Minister K M Mani died on April 9 at the age of 86. Mani had been suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease) for several years.

He was an MLA of Pala assembly constituency for nearly five decades. Kerala Congress(M) is a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in the state.

George Fernandes

Former union defence minister in the Vajpayee government who was elected nine times to the Lok Sabha, George Fernandes died on January 29 in New Delhi at 88.

He held several important portfolios as communications, industry, railways and defence.

Fernandes, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, had swine flu in his last days.

Vivekananda Reddy

YS Rajasekhara Reddy's younger brother, former minister and Member of Parliament, YS Vivekananda Reddy (68) passed away following a cardiac arrest on March 15.

He represented Pulivendula in the Andhra Pradesh assembly in 1989 and 1994. He also got elected to the Kadapa Lok Sabha seat in 1999 and 2004. In 2009 YS Vivekananda Reddy served the people of the state as MLC and also took up the responsibility of Agriculture Minister.

Shivajirao Deshmukh

Veteran Congress leader and former chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council Shivajirao Deshmukh died after prolonged illness on January 14. He was 84. Deshmukh had served as revenue minister in the Vasantsada Patil government in 1976-85.