Ahmedabad, September 27: Former Gujarat finance minister and Congress veteran Manoharsinh Jadeja passed away in Rajkot on Wednesday. Reeling under prolonged illness, the 83-year-old breathed his last at his family residence - 'Ranjit Vilas Palace'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mourned the demise of Manoharsinh, recalling him as a dedicated legislator respected across party lines. "Saddened by the demise of former Gujarat Minister Shri Manoharsinh Jadeja Ji. Respected across party lines, he made a mark as a dedicated legislator and good administrator. My thoughts are with his family and well wishers in this sad hour (sic)," Modi said on Twitter.

Born on November 18, 1935, Manoharsinh, popularly referred to as 'Dada', completed his primary and higher schooling from Rajkot-based Raj Kumar college (RKC). He made his debut in first class cricket for Saurashtra against Gujarat in 1955-56 in the Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat.

He was captain of Saurashtra Ranji Trophy cricket team. "Dada entered into politics in 1962 when he contested assembly elections as an independent and then joined the Congress," Mandhatasinh said.

The late Congress leader had served as MLA five times. "Manoharsinh held a number of positions in the state government, and had also served as health minister" Mandhatasinh said.

Manoharsinh lost against BJP's Umesh Rajyaguru and Ramesh Rupapara in 1995 and 1999, and has since been not active in politics.

Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) and the Congress also paid rich tributes. "Everyone at SCA is deeply saddened by the sad demise of SCA's yesteryear cricketer Shri Manoharsinh ji", SCA media manager Himanshu Shah said in a release.

The Rajkot unit of the Congress party will hold a condolence meeting following the funeral of Manoharsinh. Senior leaders of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, including Ahmed Patel and Bharatsinh Solanki, are expected to reach the deceased leader's house by early Friday.

(With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 27, 2018 11:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).