After prolonged illness, Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon passes away at 85

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has passed away after a prolonged illness.

Tandon was admitted to the hospital after complaining of breathing problems, difficulty in urination, and fever.

Tandon, 85, has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since June 11.

Tandon`s son Ashutosh Tandon announced the demise of his father on Twitter. "Babuji is no more," he tweeted.

Earlier, the Medical Director of Medanta Hospital said that the condition of Tandon, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital here is "now stable and still on critical care ventilator".

Anandiben Patel, the incumbent governor of Uttar Pradesh, had also assumed the charge of the post of the governor of Madhya Pradesh as well. The appointment was made by President Ram Nath Kovind last month in view of the poor health conditions of the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh Governor, Lal Ji Tandon.

Born on April 12, 1935, Tandon was one of the veteran leaders of the BJP and was a protege of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Tandon served as a member of Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) for two terms, 1978–84, and remained the Leader of House, of the Council, 1990–96. He also remained a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for three terms, 1996–2009, and remained the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, 2003–07. He had also served as Urban Development minister in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet under Mayawati when the BSP-BJP alliance was in power and also in CM Kalyan Singh's cabinet.

In May 2009, Tandon was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Lucknow after he defeated then Congress candidate Rita Bahuguna Joshi. The seat was earlier held by former BJP President Atal Bihari Vajpayee since 1991 for four consecutive terms.

Tandon also served as Governor of Bihar and was lauded for streamlining academic activities of the state universities. He was appointed as the 22nd Governor of Madhya Pradesh on July 20, 2019.