CHENNAI: Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh breathed his last on Tuesday.
The 67 year old minister was on life support with kidney and liver failures in a Chennai hospital.
He represented Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha and had previously held the posts of Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj, and Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.
Vilasrao Deshmukh was two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra, from 1999 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2008.
A week back, Deshmukh was reported critically ill and was undergoing treatment at Breach Candy hospital in Mumbai for about a week. He had to be shifted to Global hospitals, a super-speciality hospital in Chennai due to deterioration in his condition.
He leaves behind his wife, Vaishali Deshmukh, and three sons, Amit Deshmukh who is a MLA of Latur city, Ritesh and Dheeraj. His son Ritesh Deshmukh is a famous actor in Bollywood movies.
He has a younger brother Diliprao Deshmukh, who is a MLC and served as Minister of Relief, Rehabilitation, Sports, Youth Welfare and Protocol in the Maharashtra Government.
When Deshmukh was flown to Chennai for a liver transplant, doctors initially thought they should convince one of his blood relatives to donate a part of his liver, or put him on the waitlist for a cadaver transplant.
However, when they found he was suffering not only from kidney failure but a severe bacterial blood infection as well, they concluded a transplant was not the immediate option and decided to wait till his condition stabilised first.
His condition was reportedly getting stable with signs of improvement and he been on and off the ventilator.
The school van driver who was to donate his liver and a kidney to Deshmukh also died in the early hours of Tuesday.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day as a mark of respect to Deshmukh .
His death was announced by a choked Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde in the Lok Sabha.
Deshmukh was a member of Rajya Sabha and minister without portfolio.
Earlier, he was minister for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Family sources said that he will be cremated at his native Babhalgaon village in Latur district on Wednesday.
The mortal remains of the departed leader will be brought to Latur and kept at his house in Babhalgaon from 9 am to 3 pm for people to pay their last respects, his brother Dilip Deshmukh, said.
The funeral procession will start at 3 pm and last rites would be performed at 4 pm, he said.
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