Congress veteran Motilal Vora passes away day after 93rd birthday

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 21

Congress veteran Motilal Vora, a long time confidante of party chief Sonia Gandhi, passed away on Monday a day after his 93rd birthday.

He was admitted to Fortis Escorts here for treatment for urine infection. Only a month ago, Vora had been discharged from AIIMS New Delhi following COVID-19 treatment.

Vora led an active political life spanning five decades starting as an MLA in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly in 1972.

He was a six term MLA until 1990 — a duration that included his stint as state chief minister between 1985 to 1988 and again from January to December 1989; and a five term MP.

Vora, a long time AICC Treasurer and part of the controversial National Herald enterprise, entered Parliament for the first time in 1988 as a Rajya Sabha member.

Vora ji was a true congressman and a wonderful human being. We will miss him very much.

My love & condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/MvBBGGJV27

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 21, 2020

In a tweet, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said: "Vora ji was a true congressman and a wonderful human being. We will miss him very much. My love & condolences to his family and friends."

This was a brief stint and he resigned in 1989 after holding the charge as health and civil aviation minister.

The resignation was on account of his chief minister ship of MP in 1989.

Vora went on to become UP Governor from 1993 to 1996 and was thereafter elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998.

He re-entered Rajya Sabha on April 4, 2002 and served as a member of the upper house for three terms until April 9, 2020.

He was a five term MP (four terms Rajya Sabha and one term Lok Sabha).

Apart from his parliamentary career, Vora, fondly called “Babu ji”, had a remarkable career in the Congress organisation serving as a key member of Sonia Gandhi’s inner circle.

She trusted him with AICC finances until last year when she named late Ahmed Patel as Vora’s successor.

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