KOLHAPUR: Former mayor of Solapur Municipal Corporation and leader of NCP(SP) Mahesh Vishnupant Kothe passed away after a heart attack he suffered after Shahi Snan at Mahakumbh in Ganga river at Prayagraj on Tuesday morning.
He was 60 years age. Kothe contested from Solapur City North assembly but was defeated.
Tributes started to pour in after the demise of Kothe who had good relations across party lines. His nephew Devendra Kothe however won, but on BJP ticket from Solapur City Central.
According to the relatives, Mahesh Kothe had gone to Prayagraj to participate in Mahakumbh with his friends. “After bathing at Ganga ghat, he suffered heart attack. He was moved to local hospital, however doctors declared him dead. We approached Uttar Pradesh govt through Maharashtra govt to airlift Kothe and bring his mortal remains to Solapur,” said a relative of Kothe.
Mahesh Kothe was youngest mayor of Solapur and close confidant of Sharad Pawar. He stayed with Pawar after the party fractured. Even though he lost, his opponents had praised him for the fight for the party he gave despite his health conditions.
Sharad Pawar took to social media to pay tribute his partyman. “The youngest former mayor of Solapur and my old colleague Mahesh Kothe passed away sadly in Prayagraj. Mahesh Kothe had a great influence in the social work and politics of Solapur city. In his passing away, Solapur city has lost a brave worker. We all share in the grief of the Kothe family. Heartfelt condolences!,” wrote Pawar.
Kothe won Solapur Municipal Corporation’s election seven times. He left Congress and had joined Shiv Sena and won again in 2017 as corporator. After Shiv Sena denied ticket, he contested independent, but lost and then he decided to align with NCP.
