Madhya Pradesh governor Lal Ji Tandon dies at 85

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lal Ji Tandon, who was admitted to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow last month died this morning. He was 85. He was the governor of Bihar between August 2018 and July 2019 when he took over as Madhya Pradesh’s Governor. In 2009, the senior BJP leader and a protege of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, succeeded him as the Lucknow MP.

He began his career from his hometown Lucknow in the 1970s and had also served as a state minister in Uttar Pradesh several times between 1991 and 2003. His son Ashutosh Tandon, who is also a state minister in Uttar Pradesh, tweeted this morning in Hindi: “Father is no more”.
Lal Ji Tandon was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow on June 11 due to breathing problems and other health issues, his son Ashutosh Tandon said.

Lal Ji Tandon died at around 5:35 AM at the hospital. The last rites will be performed at 5 this evening in Lucknow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences: “Shri Lalji Tandon will be remembered for his untiring efforts to serve society. He played a key role in strengthening the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. He made a mark as an effective administrator, always giving importance of public welfare. Anguished by his passing away.”