Sena's soft-spoken former mayor & minister Sudhir Joshi no more

Former mayor Sudhir Joshi, one of Balasaheb Thackeray’s trusted lieutenants who took the Shiv Sena’s message to the burgeoning Maharashtrian middle-class of the city five decades ago, passed away on Thursday. He was 82.

- Ambarish Mishra

Mumbai: Joshi was admitted to Jaslok hospital last week following post-Covid health issues, it was learnt. He was former CM Manohar Joshi’s nephew. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray declared a state funeral on Friday for the former minister. Joshi is survived by son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

The pre-2000 generation of Shiv Sena activists remembered Joshi for his organisational skills and ability to connect with the grassroots Sainiks from Mumbai’s underbelly. “For countless Sena workers Joshisaheb was ‘Sudhirbhau’, an endearment he coveted till the last,” said Anil Desai, a Joshi protege and MP.