JD-S vice president Bapu Kaldate dead

He is survived by his educationist wife Sudha and their two daughters Kanchan and Anupama, said the family's friend and neighbour for over five decades, Nishikant Bhalerao.
According to Bhalerao, Kaldate had been ailing for the past couple of months from multiple problems related to lungs, liver and eyesight.

His condition suddenly deteriorated two days ago and he was rushed to the Mahatma Gandhi Mission Hospital, Aurangabad, where he breathed his last around 12.30 a.m. Thursday.

Kaldate was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977, twice to the Rajya Sabha and thrice to the Maharashtra legislature from different constituencies in the state. Since 2006, he was the vice president of the JD-S, led by former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

Born Dec 1, 1929 to Ram Rao and Radha at Isthae in the backward Beed district of Maharashtra, Kaldate received his primary education from Pandharpur High School and pursued his secondary education from T.R. Ayurvedic College, Pune.

Having a passion for social work from his youth days, Kaldate actively participated in the Quit India Movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 and was imprisoned six times on various occasions.

He also took part in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement as well as agitations against inflation, farmers problems in the state and other major issues.

During the Emergency, he played an active role and was sent to jail for nearly 15 months. After coming out, he joined the 'Kisan Dandi Yatra' in 1980.