Former Maharashtra Assembly Speaker and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Babasaheb Kupekar passed away in Mumbai today following a prolonged illness. Kupekar, who was 70 years old, had been suffering from cancer. Family sources said that Kupekar breathed his last at the Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai where he was admitted in the ICU more than a month ago. He is survived by wife and three daughters.Kupekar, who represented the Gadhinglaj constituency in Kolhapur district, was also a former chairman of the State Planning Board. The mortal remains will be taken to his hometown Kolhapur later in the day and the funeral will take place tomorrow morning.Kupekar's real name was Krishnarao Rakhmajirao Desai. In the Congress-NCP coalition government, he served as minister of state for cooperation, environment, labour and industries from 1999-2004. Later, he was elevated as the Legislative Assembly Speaker. In his hometown, he headed several educational institutions.Kupekar began his political career as a sarpanch of Kanadewadi in the Gadhinglaj taluka. He was also the director of Kolhapur District Cooperative Bank. Before 1999, he was the general secretary of the Maharashtra Congress and after NCP came in existence, he was appointed president of the Kolhapur district NCP unit.