Sheikh Rasheed Shafi, a former Congress MLA who twice represented the Malegaon Central assembly constituency in Maharashtra, has passed away at a private hospital in Nashik city. The demise occurred following a brief illness, as confirmed by family sources on Tuesday.
Sheikh breathed his last late Monday night at the age of 68. He was not keeping well for the past few months and undergoing treatment, they said. His last rites were performed on Tuesday morning. People from all walks of life expressed grief over his demise.
Sheikh started his political career as a Congress councillor and later became the chairman of the Malegaon Municipal Council. He also served as the mayor of Malegaon city in 2017. He was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1999 and again in 2004. In his maiden assembly election, he proved to be a giant killer as he defeated Samajwadi Party (SP) stalwart Nihal Ahmed. He was also the city unit president of the Congress for some time.