Former Rajasthan CM, wife die of Covid-19

By Prakash Bhandari 

The demon of corona engulfed the Pahadia couple. After the death of Rajasthan’s former Chief minister Jagannath Pahadia in a hospital in Gurgaon, his wife, Shanti Pahadia, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha and twice served as legislator of the Rajasthan Assembly also passed away because of corona. Shanti Pahadia was in the same hospital and was on a ventilator and was unconscious and had no clue that her husband had passed away barely three days ago. Jagannath Prasad  Pahidia,89, passed away in Medanta hospital in Gurgaon late Wednesday night.

Rajasthan government offices were closed as a mark of respect to Pahadia. He was the only dalit Chief Minister of the state.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot paid glowing tributes to Pahadia and described him as a veteran and tall leader of the state. He became the youngest member of Lok Sabha in 1957 when he was elected on a Congress ticket from Sawaimadhopur (SC-reserved) seat in 1957. He was inducted later as a deputy minister in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet in 1967.

He served as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan between June 6, 1980 to July, 1981 and during this tenure of 13 months he declared prohibition in the state which was  later revoked.

Pahadia  was a member of Lok Sabha for four terms-1957, 1967,1971 and 1980. He also served as a member of the Rajasthan assembly in 1980,1985,1999 and 2003. He once lost the Vidhan Sabha election and after that he did not contest any election.

He served as the Governor of Bihar from 1989 to 1990 and later as the Governor of Haryana from 2009 to 2014.

Image courtesy of (Image courtesy: nayaindia.com)

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