Senior Congress leader and former Maharasthra minister Anandrao Devkate died Friday at his native place in Solapur district after a brief illness, the party said here.
He was 86.
Devkate was Minister of State for Dairy Development from 1999 to 2003 in the Congress-NCP government led by VilasraoDeshmukh.
He vacated his South Solapur assembly seat for Congress leader SushilkumarShinde when the latter replaced Deshmukh as chief minister in 2003.
State Congress chief Ashok Chavan and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil condoled the demise of Devkate.
Chavan said the party had lost a grassroots leader.
"His contribution was immense in socio, political and cooperative fields in Maharashtra," he said.
Vikhe-Patil said Devkatewas a visionary leader.
"Due to his grassroots contact and efficiency he got to represent his constituency for five consecutive times," he added.
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