Pune, March 29 : Former state minister and ailing Bharatiya Janata Party MP Girish Bapat passed away during treatment in a Pune hospital, plunging the party into grief, here on Wednesday. A BJP veteran for over four decades, Bapat, 72, breathed his last shortly after a medical bulletin issued by Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital & Research Center had described him as "critically ill", and put on life-support systems. In Bapat's passing, the Pune BJP leadership has suffered the loss of a third prominent sitting lawmaker in the past four months. On December 22, 2022, the Kasba Peth sitting MLA Mukta Tilak had passed away; on January 3, Chinchwad sitting MLA Laxman Jagtap expired, followed by Bapat's passing today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "sad" at the passing of Bapat and offered condolences to his family and supporters. "Shri Girish Bapatji was a humble and hardworking leader who served society diligently. He worked extensively for the development of Maharashtra and was particularly passionate about Pune's growth. His passing away is saddening," said Modi. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and their cabinet ministers rushed to Pune to offer respects to Bapat this afternoon. Shinde and Fadnavis paid glowing tributes to Bapat for his social work, public causes, his oratory style that left listeners spellbound in the legislature and other sterling qualities that endeared him across party lines. State BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Mumbai President Ashish Shelar, state and union ministers like Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan, Nitin Gadkari, Raosaheb Patil-Danve, state MPs, MLAs, mourned the loss of Bapat. From the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, leaders like Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, MP Supriya Sule, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, Deputy Chairperson of Maharashtra Legislative Council Dr Neelam Gorhe, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, farmers leader Kishore Tiwari, Congress President Nana Patole, Congress Legislative Party Leader Balasaheb Thorat and others expressed their condolences on Bapat's demise. Bapat's mortal remains draped with the National Tricolour were brought to his home and former constituency in Kasba Peth this along with a police gun salute. He will be consigned to the flames this evening at the Vaikunthdham Crematorium at 7 p.m. this evening, said a family member. A three-time Municipal Corporator of Pune Municipal Corporation and five-time MLA from the Kasba Peth assembly constituency of Pune, Bapat was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2019. Not keeping good health for some time, the senior leader was being treated at home but re-admitted to the hospital today, where he passed away after a few hours, shocking political circles. In February, Bapat came into public view when he stepped out with medical support systems to address a public rally for the BJP candidate Hemant Rasane in the Kasba Peth Assembly bypolls. However, the BJP lost its bastion after 28 years to the Congress-Maha Vikas Aghadi's nominee Ravindra Dhangekar. /IANS