Solapur: In the latest health scare for Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister was on Thursday (August 1) forced to sit down at a public event here after feeling uneasy.

This happened even as the national anthem was being played at the event, held at the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Solapur University in Maharasthra.

Gadkari was the guest of honour at the function, an aide of the senior BJP minister said.

There have been a couple of incidents in the last several months where Gadkari has fainted at public events, apparently due to low sugar levels.

Gadkari had faced health issues during public events earlier too. In December 2018, during convocation ceremony at Mahatma Phule Agricultural University in Rahuri in Ahmednagar, Gadkari fainted but was prevented from falling as Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao supported him. Later, he was taken to a hospital.

In April 2019, Gadkari had fainted in Ahmednagar again while he was addressing an election rally near Shirdi in the district. The incident occurred during the rally held at Rahata for Shiv Sena candidate Sadashiv Lokhande.