Deceased senior BJP leader Raj K Purohit
Credit: X/@RajKPurohitBJP
Mumbai: Former Maharashtra minister and senior BJP leader Raj K Purohit, who was a prominent face of the Rajasthani community in Mumbai, passed away on Sunday.
He was 71.
He passed away during the wee hours of Sunday while undergoing treatment for health complications.
Purohit’s demise comes a couple of days after his son Akash Raj Purohit secured a second consecutive victory in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections from Ward 121.
Purohit, one of the most influential politicians in South Mumbai localities, had served as the Mumbai BJP President.
A five-time MLA, he was elected from Mumbadevi four times and once from Colaba. In 1991, he was denied a ticket by the BJP.
Purohit will always be remembered for the work that he had done as a Housing Minister.
As a BJP worker, he has worked with generations of leaders right from the times when late Pramod Mahajan and late Gopinath Munde called the shots to now Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
“Raj Purohit always stood as a strong pillar in the organizational process. Determination and aggression were his enduring traits. He was always enthusiastic, brimming with confidence, and full of positivity. He was popular even among the business class, and under his leadership, he challenged many issues and resolved them. In the recent municipal corporation elections as well, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the campaign,” Fadnavis said.
“Raj Purohit was a messiah for tenants living in Mumbai and worked for their cause,” said BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde.
“South Mumbai has lost a dedicated social worker and visionary leader,” said Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora, pointing out that Raj Purohit and his late father Murli Deora shared familial relations.