Datta Meghe, one of Vidarbha’s tallest politicians and education network builder, passes away at 89 Nagpur: Datta Meghe, one of Vidarbha’s most enduring political figures and the founder of one of Maharashtra’s largest private education networks, passed away on Sunday at the age of 89. His younger son Sameer Meghe, a BJP MLA from Hingna, said, “My father never refused to help anyone who came to him. That is how I want people to remember him.” Meghe’s passing marks the end of a public life that stretched across five decades, two houses of Parliament, the Maharashtra Legislative Council, and three national parties. Born on November 11, 1936, in Pawnar in Wardha district, Meghe graduated with a BA from Nagpur University in 1963 and worked briefly as a development officer with LIC before entering public life. Meghe entered the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 1978 and served three consecutive terms there until 1991, a run of over 13 years that gave him a firm grounding in state politics. During that stretch, he served as minister of state for housing and civil supplies and technical education, and later as cabinet minister for energy and forests. He also served as leader of opposition in the Legislative Council. Meghe entered the Parliament in 1991, when he won the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket with over 3.28 lakh votes. Meghe had later recalled he contested the election at the personal encouragement of Rajiv Gandhi, whose assassination had briefly delayed the polls. He was re-elected from Ramtek in 1996 and from Wardha in 1998, giving him three consecutive Lok Sabha terms. After a stint in the Rajya Sabha from 2002 to 2008, he returned to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Wardha. His party affiliations tracked the shifting currents of Maharashtra politics across four decades.#devendra_fadnavis #datta_meghe #sameer_meghe #sagar_meghe #rajiv_gandhi
Datta Meghe, a prominent figure in Vidarbha politics and a key architect of Maharashtra's private education system, has passed away at the age of 89. His death marks the end of a career spanning over five decades, during which he held significant roles in state and national politics, as well as in the development of educational and healthcare infrastructure across rural Maharashtra. Born on November 11, 1936, in Pawnar, Wardha district, Meghe graduated with a BA from Nagpur University in 1963. After a brief stint as a development officer with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), he entered public life. His political journey began in 1978 when he was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council, where he served three consecutive terms until 1991. During this period, he held ministerial positions in state departments such as housing, civil supplies, technical education, energy, and forests. He also served as leader of opposition in the Legislative Council. Meghe's political career expanded in 1991 when he won the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket, securing over 3.28 lakh votes. He was re-elected from Ramtek in 1996 and Wardha in 1998, earning three consecutive Lok Sabha terms. After a stint in the Rajya Sabha from 2002 to 2008, he returned to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Wardha. His party affiliations shifted over time, aligning with Congress in 1978, joining the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 1999 after Sharad Pawar's split, and returning to Congress in 2008. The break with Congress occurred in 2014 after his son Sagar lost the Wardha Lok Sabha seat, leading the family to feel sidelined. Meghe resigned from Congress, citing neglect of Vidarbha's interests, and along with his sons Sagar and Sameer, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in July 2014.#life_insurance_corporation_of_india #nationalist_congress_party #datta_meghe #maharashtra_legislative_council
