In a span of six years, the BJP has lost five phenomenal figures (including Sushma Swaraj) who were synonymous not just with the happenings of the party, but also had carved a niche for themselves in the roles allotted.
Bengaluru: In the last two Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019) the BJP got a tremendous mandate to govern the country. But on a personal note, the party has suffered huge losses as it has lost five stalwarts (including Sushma Swaraj) in the party since 2014. Former foreign minister Sushma passed away on Tuesday (August 6) in Delhi. She was 67.
Here’s a list of BJP's four stalwarts who passed away in the last six years
1. Gopinath Munde (1949-2014)
Fondly called “Lokneta”, Gopinath Munde hailed from Maharashtra and was a minister in the Narendra Modi’s Cabinet in 2014. Prior to this, he was a deputy chief minister of Maharashtra. He was also a deputy leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha.
As his career graph was growing, there was a sudden and abrupt end to it as he passed away in a road accident in the year 2014. India had certainly lost a talented leader in his demise. There are allegations that the road accident was plotted as he knew that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were rigged.
2. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1924-2018)
This man certainly needs no introduction. A former prime minister who had held everyone awed with his oratorical skills and a tender heart, he was called “Ajatashatru” or a man with no enemies.
Whenever he spoke, everyone would listen to him with rapt attention, cutting across party lines. He was also hailed for his sincere moves to dip tension in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. But owing to age-related illness, he passed away in 2018.
3. Ananth Kumar (1959-2018)
Just like Vajpayee, Ananth Kumar too was known for his friendly nature and his ability to reach out to everyone with his knack to solve the most difficult of issues. It is precisely this reason as to why he was made the parliamentary affairs minister. He is also known to have lent a supporting hand to youngsters aspiring to join the BJP in Karnataka and with the support of chief minister BS Yediyurappa, slogged to build the party in the state for almost three decades.
But his life too was cut short, as he was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he passed away last year.
4. Manohar Parrikar (1955-2019)
Extolled for his frugal lifestyle, Manohar was the chief minister of Goa for three times and later, specifically asked by PM Modi to take up the role of defence minister. He is credited to have changed the very landscape of defence ministry with his landmark decisions. But he quit defence ministry and returned to the state to hold the reins as the chief minister again. He died earlier this year, owing to pancreatic cancer.
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