Congress lone Lok Sabha MP in Maharashtra, Suresh ‘Balu’ Dhanorkar passes away

 

The Congress MP was admitted to a Nagpur-based hospital last week for the treatment of kidney stones, and was later shifted to New Delhi

In a blow to the Congress party in Maharashtra, its lone Lok Sabha member, Chandrapur MP Suresh Dhanorkar, also known as ‘Balu’ Dhanorkar, passed away at Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital in the Delhi-NCR region early morning on May 30, said party sources.

The 47-year-old Dhanorkar was admitted to a Nagpur-based hospital last week for treatment of kidney stones.

However, his condition worsened and he was moved to Delhi in an air ambulance on May 29/

Dhanorkar is survived by his wife, Congress leader Pratibha Dhanorkar, an MLA from the Warora-Bhadrawati assembly segment in Chandrapur, and two sons.

Dhanokar commenced his political career in the Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in the Chandrapur district and won the Warora-Bhadrawati assembly seat in the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly election.

He then switched to the Congress and was fielded by the party in the Chandrapur Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general election against stalwart BJP leader Hansraj Ahir, who was then sitting MP of Chandrapur and serving his fourth term.

At a time when all tall Maharashtra Congress leaders fell like dominoes before the BJP onslaught, Dhanorkar held his own and proved a ‘giant killer’ by trouncing a popular leader and former Union Minister like Mr. Ahir.

Dhanorkar’s passing, while being a setback for his party in the Vidarbha region, is a double tragedy for his family as his death comes days after his father, Narayan Dhanorkar, passed away on Saturday last week— a day before the late MP was moved to Delhi for treatment.

Party sources said that Dhanorkar’s mortal remains would be brought to Warora by special aeroplane. The last rites are to take place tomorrow, May 31 in Warora.