Prayagraj: Former Governor of West Bengal and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kesari Nath Tripathi passed away after prolonged illness on Sunday. He was 89.
City president of BJP Mahesh Kesarwani said that Kesari Nath passed away at his residence. “He was ill from sometime and was admitted to Acura Critical Care Hospital on December 30 after his health deteriorated,” he said.
Kesarwani said that last rites of the former Governor will be held at Daraganj cremation ground at 4 pm. It may be noted that Kesari Nath was contracted with Covid twice after which he was treated at SGPGI Lucknow for a long time.
Kesari Nath, who was born on November 10, 1934. He held the post of state president of BJP and the Vidhan Sabha speaker.
He also held the post of West Bengal Government between 2014 to 2019. During this period he had additional charge of Bihar, Mizoram and Meghalaya as the Governor.
Kesari Nath joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1946. Later, he joined Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1952 and worked as an activist. During this period he was jailed for participating in the Kashmir movement.
For his active participation in Ram Janmabhoomi movement he was jailed for 18 days from October 23 to November 10 in 1990. He completed his graduation from Allahabad University in 1953 and cleared LLB in 1955. Thereafter he enrolled as the lawyer in the Allahabad High Court and was elected as the joint secretary of the bar association in the same year.
Kesari Nath was first elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 1977 from Jhunsi on Janata Party ticket and had been Finance and Sales Tax Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government.
He was elected to the Vidhan Sabha from Allahabad South assembly constituency in 1989, 1993, 1996 and 2002. During this tenure he was elected as the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha.
