Former Shiv Sena MP Mohan Rawale dies at 72

A resident of the Shiv Sena stronghold of Parel, Rawale had served as the president of the Shiv Sena's youth wing, Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, from 1979 to 1984. (Representational)

FORMER SHIV Sena MP Mohan Rawale, who represented Mumbai South Central constituency for five consecutive terms between 1991 and 2004, died following a cardiac arrest in Goa early on Saturday. He was 72.

A resident of the Shiv Sena stronghold of Parel, Rawale had served as the president of the Shiv Sena’s youth wing, Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, from 1979 to 1984. He subsequently went on to become an MP in 1991 from Mumbai South Central, representing the seat five consecutive times. In 1998, he won his seat by a thin margin of 153 votes and was also asked to helm the Sena’s plan of starting a countrywide labour union that eventually did not succeed. He lost his Lok Sabha elections in 2009 to Milind Deora of the Congress.

Rawale was once deemed to be close to Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, but subsequently had a fallout with the party after Uddhav Thackeray took over party reins. In the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Rawale, after being expelled from the Shiv Sena, had a brief tryst with the NCP as well. He, however, rejoined the Sena after issuing a public apology for quitting the party.

State Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray tweeted, “The news of the demise of Mohan Rawale ji, a former five-time Shiv Sena MP from south central Mumbai, a staunch Shiv Sainik. We share the grief of his family. Peace be with his soul.”

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