Girish Bapat

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Girish Bapat (3 September 1950 – 29 March 2023) was an Indian politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was elected to the 17th Lok Sabha from Pune in 2019 and served as the city’s MP until his death in 2023.

Before entering Parliament, Bapat was a long-time Maharashtra leader. He represented Kasba Peth in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 1995 to 2019, winning five consecutive elections. From December 2014 to June 2019, he served as a cabinet minister in the Maharashtra government under Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, holding the portfolios of Food & Civil Supplies (and Consumer Protection) and Parliamentary Affairs.

Bapat began his public career with the RSS and later became secretary of the Pune City BJP in 1980. He served in the Pune Municipal Corporation, including as Standing Committee chairman in 1986–87, and was director of the Krishna Valley Development Corporation in 1997.

Personal details: He was born in Talegaon, Bombay State (now in Maharashtra). He earned a Bachelor of Commerce from Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce. He was married to Girija Bapat and had one son. He died in Pune after a long illness, aged 72.