Senior Congress leader Eknath Gaikwad dies of COVID-19

Mumbai: Former Congress MP and Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad’s father Eknath Gaikwad passed away on Wednesday after a fight with COVID-19.

Gaikwad, who was also a former Maharashtra Minister, reportedly breathed his last in a Mumbai hospital at around 1000 hrs.

A two-time Lok Sabha MP, Gaikwad has represented the Mumbai South Central constituency.

He had also served as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, winning thrice from Dharavi. He had also served as a leading member of the state Cabinet. From 2017 to 2020, he had been the president of the Mumbai Congress Committee. His daughter Varsha Gaikwad is presently the School Education Minister in the Maharashtra government. (UNI)