Shivaji Kardile, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and MLA from Rahuri constituency in Ahmednagar, has passed away at the age of 66. He was admitted to Saideep Sahyadri Hospital in Ahilyanagar after his health deteriorated, but was declared dead upon arrival. His last rites are scheduled to be performed later today.
Kardile began his political journey as a sarpanch and rose through the ranks of local governance. He was first elected as an MLA from Rahuri in 2009 on a BJP ticket. He successfully retained the seat in the 2014 elections but lost to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)’s Prajakta Tanpure in 2019. Kardile made a comeback in the 2024 assembly elections, regaining the the Rahuri seat. Kardile was widely regarded as a grassroots leader with strong connections to his constituency and a long-standing presence in local politics. Kardile was a father-in-law of NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap.