Sudhir G. Joshi (25 May 1940 – 17 February 2022) was an Indian politician from the state of

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

and one of the leaders of the

Shiv Sena Shiv Sena (1966–2022) (; ; SS) was a right-wing Marathi regionalist Hindutva-based political party in India founded in 1966 by Bal Thackeray, who was later succeeded by Uddhav Thackeray. The party is split into two parties: the Uddha ...

political party. He was a cabinet minister in the

Government of Maharashtra The Government of Maharashtra is the executive branch of the Indian states of india, state of Maharashtra. The government is led by the List of chief ministers of Maharashtra, chief minister (currently Devendra Fadnavis since 5 December 2024) ...

led by

Manohar Joshi Manohar Gajanan Joshi (2 December 1937 – 23 February 2024) was an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra, who served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999, and Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 2002 to 2004. He was one ...

. He held Revenue and School Education portfolios. He was

Mayor of Mumbai The Mayor of Mumbai is the elected chief of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. The mayor is the first citizen of the city. The role is largely ceremonial as the real powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai, Municipal ...

in 1973–74.

Background and Family Information

Joshi was born to Indira Joshi and Gajanan Joshi, a businessman and owner of a local eatery in Dadar, Mumbai. He was married to Suhasini Joshi on 10 June 1965, and has a son, Preshit Joshi. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from D. G.

Ruparel College Doongasree Gangji Ruparel College of Arts, Science and Commerce, known as Ruparel College, is an undergraduate college in Matunga, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is run by the Modern Education Society, Pune and is affiliated with the University ...

in Matunga.

Career

Political

Joshi started his political career by getting elected as a Corporator in the

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), or the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra. Salman Khan Is Now Brand Ambassador of BMC from 2016. The BMC is India ...

(BMC) in 1968. In the BMC elections of 1973, the Shiv Sena-

Republican Party of India The Republican Party of India (RPI, often called the Republican Party or simply Republican) was a political party in India. It had its roots in the All-India Scheduled Castes Federation led by N. Sivaraj and B. R. Ambedkar. The Party was e ...

alliance won a majority. Hence, Joshi was elected to the post of Corporator for another term of 5 years. In the wake of this victory, he was elected to the post of Mayor of Mumbai with the support of one Congress faction, the RPI and even some Corporators of the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties British India *All-India Muslim League, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan ** Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organization above **Unionist Muslim L ...

. He remained in office till 1974, after which he resumed his duties as a Corporator till 1978. He was the first Mayor belonging to the Shiv Sena. In 1986, he was elected as a Member of the

Maharashtra Legislative Council The Maharashtra Legislative Council or Maharashtra Vidhan Parishad is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of Maharashtra state in western India. Maharashtra Legislature Leaders Party Group Leader & Chief Whip and Whip Location Th ...

(

Vidhan Parishad The State Legislative Council, also known as the Vidhan Parishad or the Saasana Mandali, is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral state legislature; the lower house being the State Legislative Assembly. Its establishme ...

) in the state of Maharashtra. He held this position till 1999. During this period, from 1992 to 1995, he was the Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Parishad. In 1995, when the Shiv Sena-

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Since 2014, ...

alliance came to power, he was allotted the portfolios of Revenue Minister and School Education Minister. Joshi has been the President of the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti (SLS) for 20 years, since 1977. In 1997, after holding the two ministerial portfolios for two years, he resigned from the post of the SLS President. Under his leadership, the SLS had established and secured jobs for many native Maharashtrians in Mumbai's 5 star hotels, banks, the insurance sector, multinational companies, and most importantly, Air India. After Joshi met with an accident, however, the Revenue portfolio was given to Narayan Rane; when Joshi recovered and resumed office, the Revenue portfolio was not returned. He still held the School Education portfolio till his MLC term expired in July 1999. After this, he retired from active politics.

Social

Joshi held leadership positions in various organisations in the state of Maharashtra.

Death

Joshi died in Mumbai on 17 February 2022, at the age of 81 from post Covid-19 complications.

References