Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress Mahesh Joshi passed away after a prolonged illness on Friday night. He breathed his last at a hospital in Bhopal about 10 pm.

Joshi was a member of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Indore-3 constituency in Indore. Currently, he is a member of the Coordination committee of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee.

Many leaders including MP Congress President Kamal Nath, former CM Digvijay Singh have expressed grief over the death of Joshi. In his condolence message, Kamal Nath said that his dedication to the Congress party, his work in the public interest, his clarity, frankness, vivacity, style of making people his own can never be forgotten. His death is an irreparable loss to the Congress party. 

His funeral procession will be taken out from his residence at Old Palasia in Indore on Saturday morning and his last rites will be performed at Rambagh crematorium. Joshi was a much-respected Congress leader who started his political career as a student leader. Born in 1939 in Kushalgarh, Rajasthan, Joshi had come to Indore for studies and started his political career.

Mahesh Joshi became corporator in 1962 and 1967. Joshi had become MLA in 1972 and also became a Cabinet minister and handled various departments. He was close to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and was the political guru of former chief minister Digvijaya Singh. Former chief minister Kamal Nath has condoled Joshi's death.