Ex-MLC Rangnekar no more

Aurangabad, Feb 17

Kumudini Madhavrao Rangnekar, an activist of Jan Sangh and former MLC from Marathwada graduates constituency, passed away due to old age in Nashik on Thursday.

A 93-year-old resident of Khara Kunwa in the city, Rangnekar was the first MLC of the graduates constituency from 1978 to 1984. A native of Mumbai, Rangnekar had settled down in Aurangabad in 1958. Jan Sangh's Rambhau Mhalagi and Jagannathrao Joshi would visit her regularly.

Rangnekar, who emerged as a speech writer and was running a literary organisation Madhugandh, has many awards to her credit. "A holder of a masters degree, she had started a typewriting institute in Khara Kunwa. She would also conduct stenography classes and had contested the municipal council election in 1967. Former minister Jaywantiben Mehta and many other activists, including me, had campaigned for her," recalled MLA Haribhau Bagade.

"She used to write speeches for many leaders and speakers, and was a fearless activist," Dayaram Basaiyye said, adding that owing to her old age and falling health, she recently had moved to Nashik and since then she had been staying there with her daughter, son-in-law and grandson.