Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha and senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader Girish Bapat passed away in Pune today after suffering from a prolonged illness. He was 73.<br />''<br />''Girish Bapat was critically ill and had been on life support. He was suffering from breathing problems for the past few months and had been undergoing dialysis at the hospital.<br />''<br />''The Governor of Maharashtra Ramesh Bais has expressed condolences on the demise of MP Bapat. The Governor mentioned that in his long and illustrious political career, Girish Bapat left his indelible imprint as an MP, as a member of the Maharashtra State Legislature, as Cabinet Minister in Maharashtra and as a member of various Parliamentary Committees. The Governor stated that starting as a trade union leader, Girish Bapat rose to the ranks in politics on the strength of hard work and mass contact. He also said that Mr. Bapat had friends across the political spectrum. In his demise, the State lost a popular leader and an experienced parliamentarian.<br />''<br />''In his condolence message, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that an all-inclusive leadership in politics has been lost. Remembering  Bapat CM Shinde said that he had started his career as a grassroots-level worker to become an ideal public representative. He added that Girish Bapat continued to energise his party even while struggling with a terminal illness.<br />''<br />''Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pawar expressed heartfelt condolence over the death of Bapat. <br />''<br />