A former Rajya Sabha member, Apte, 73, is survived by his wife and a daughter. He was admitted to the Hinduja Hospital four days ago.
He was BJP vice president during 2002-2010 and was also member of the party's Central Parliamentary Board. BJP's Tarun Vijay described him as an ideal RSS swyamsewak and legendary organiser for ABVP.
A lawyer by profession, Apte had been detained from December 1975 to February 1977 under the stringent Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during Emergency.
A former Additional Advocate General of Maharashtra, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the state in year 2000 and 2006.
He was on the Governing Council of Shikshan Prasarak Mandali, an educational institution running 20 colleges and schools, for about two decades.
