Gopinath Munde passes away; BJP shocked over sudden demise

Mumbai/New Delhi, June 3: The death of Union Minister

in a car accident in Delhi early Tuesday sent shockwaves through the political circles in Maharashtra.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that around 8 a.m. the doctors at the AIIMS Hospital pronounced Munde dead.

This came as the second major setback for the entire Bharatiya Janata Party, coming as it did barely eight years after the killing of Munde's brother-in-law and senior party leader, the 56-year-old Pramod Mahajan May 3, 2006, in Mumbai.

Munde was rushed to the hospital after the car accident on Aurobindo Road, very close the residence of senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, he added.

Gadkari said that later Tuesday Munde's body would be taken to his native village, Parali in Beed district of Maharashtra, for the funeral Wednesday.

The former BJP president said that Munde's family members were already at Mumbai airport and would reach New Delhi later in the morning.

News of Munde's death following serious injuries on the head and chest in the accident led top political leaders and activists to catch flights, trains to New Delhi.

IANS