State mourning declared in Rajasthan over demise of ex-CM Jagannath Pahadia

Jaipur: Senior Congress leader and ex-chief minister of Rajasthan Jagannath Pahadia died of Covid-19 infection at a hospital in Gurugram on Wednesday night. The Rajasthan government has declared a day-long state mourning over the demise of the 89-year-old veteran politician. His wife is also battling with coronavirus. He was cremated with state honours in Gurgaon. On his death, the Rajasthan government declared a holiday in government offices.

Pahadia had been a union cabinet minister when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. He was also appointed the governor of Bihar and Haryana. As a cabinet minister, he had important portfolios such as Finance, Industry, Labor, Agriculture. He was the governor of Bihar from 1989 to 1990 and the governor of Haryana from 2009 to 2014

The national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings in Rajasthan. A meeting of the Council of Ministers presided over by chief minister Ashok Gehlot was called on Thursday to pay tribute to Pahadia.

Pahadia was the Chief Minister of Rajasthan for only 13 months from 6 June 1980 to 14 July 1981. He was elected as an MP in 1957, 1967, 1971, and 1980 and as an MLA in 1980, 1985, 1999, and 2003.