Former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi passes away

Mumbai: Former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi passed away at a Mumbai hospital on Friday, where he was admitted after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The former Maharashtra chief minister was admitted in the ICU of P D Hinduja Hospital here on Wednesday and breathed his last at the private medical facility, family sources said.

Joshi (86), was severely ill, the hospital had said in a statement on Thursday.

The Shiv Sena stalwart was admitted to the same hospital in May last year after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Joshi served as chief minister from 1995 to 1999 and was the first leader from the undivided Shiv Sena to occupy the top post in the state.

He was also elected as a Member of Parliament and was the Lok Sabha Speaker from 2002 to 2004 when the Vajpayee government was in power.