Veteran Congressman and former union minister Manikrao Gavit, one of the longest-serving Lok Sabha MPs, passed away on Saturday.
Gavit, a veteran tribal leader from Maharashtra, was 87, and passed away in a hospital in Nashik because of old-age related issues.
Gavit served as a member of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th Lok Sabha and represented the tribal-dominated Nandurbar seat of North Maharashtra.
In the 16th Lok Sabha elections, he lost to Heena Gavit of BJP.
Gavit had served as Minister of State in the Congress-led UPA government under then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh - and handled portfolios like Home and Social Justice.
Gavit was appointed a Pro Tem Speaker of 15th Lok Sabha by then President Pratibha Patil.
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