Senior BJP leader and former minister Madhukar Pichad passed away today on 6th December 2024 at the age of 84. He had been undergoing treatment at Nine Pulse Hospital in Nashik for the past one and a half months after suffering a brain stroke. Unfortunately, his condition worsened, and he passed away during treatment.
Madhukar Pichad, along with his son Vaibhav Pichad, had joined the BJP from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2019, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Pichad was a respected name in Maharashtra politics and had a long and distinguished career.
He began his political journey with the NCP and even served as the state president of the party. Pichad held significant positions, including the Minister for Tribal Development, Forest, and Environment. His political career started in 1972 as a member of the Akole Panchayat Samiti, where he later became the Chairman from 1972 to 1980. Pichad was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for seven consecutive terms from 1980 to 2009.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, Pichad left the NCP and joined the BJP, along with his son Vaibhav, though the latter was defeated in that election. Recently, there had been speculation about Pichad potentially returning to the NCP after he met party leader Sharad Pawar. However, his health deteriorated before any such developments could take place.