Jaipur, May 15
Former Vice-President and Rajasthan ex-Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat passed away here today after prolonged illness. He was 86.

Suffering from lung and chest infection, Shekhawat was admitted to the Sawai Man Singh Hospital a couple of days ago. Though he showed some signs of recovery last evening, his condition deteriorated in the morning after he complained of uneasiness and breathing trouble.

Shekhawat breathed his last at 11.10 am. He is survived by his wife, Suraj Kanwar, and a daughter. His wife and son-in-law Narpat Singh Rajvee were present at the hospital.

With his demise, a pall of gloom descended on the desert state where he was popularly lauded as “Rajasthan Ka Ek Hi Singh — Bhairon Singh” by millions of his supporters. He was one of the most towering political leaders Rajasthan has ever produced.

Fondly known as “Babosa”, Shekhawat has a unique place in the folklore of Shekhawati region where people sing folk songs during Holi every year, praising the former Vice-President for helping to defuse communal tension in a town during Holi festivities way back in 1956.

Shekhawat served as the Vice-President of India from August 2002 to July 21, 2007. He contested the Presidential elections, which he lost to Pratibha Patil. He also served as Chief Minister of Rajasthan three times: from 1977 to 1980, 1990 to 1992 and 1993 to 1998. He got elected to Rajasthan Assembly for record 10 times from 1952 to 2002, besides being a member of Rajya Sabha once.

He was credited with rebuilding the party from scratch after six of the nine Bharatiya Jan Sangh MLAs were expelled from the party for opposing Zamindari Abolition Bill during his first stint as MLA in 1950s.

In his unblemished political career spanning over six decades, Shekhawat had been a deft politician with friends across the political spectrum. “Politics is all about making friends, not enemies, even though one may differ strongly on issues,” he would say.

Shekhawat was born on October 23, 1923, in an obscure village in Sikar district of Rajasthan. Poverty forced him to quit his education before completing high school, following which he found a job as a police constable. An RSS functionary from a young age, he quit his job to jump into the electoral fray in the first Assembly elections in 1952 as a Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS) candidate.

A BJP stalwart along the likes of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, Shekhawat often took positions far more progressive than expected of his party. He unequivocally condemned the Sati at Deorala in 1982, at a time when a few politicians in the state were willing to speak out against it.

Like Vajpayee, he too identified himself with the liberal stream within the party and was dismissive of hardliners and ideologues. During his chief ministerial stints, he took several steps to draw Muslims towards his party. He was the first CM to set up a State Waqf Authority. He got the Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti at Ajmer renovated at considerable government costs, and established the Rajasthan State Urdu Academy.

Meanwhile, at an emergency Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed grief on his demise and declared a three-day state mourning. The Tricolour will remain lowered at half-mast during this period as the mark of respect to the departed soul. Gehlot described Shekhawat’s demise as a loss to the nation and the end of an era. He also said he always tried to put forward the social, economic and political problems of the state. Shekhawat will be cremated with full state honours at 10 am in Jaipur tomorrow.