Senior Congress leader and socialist thinker Ratnakar Mahajan died in Pune at the age of 80, bringing an end to a political career that spanned several decades and major phases of Maharashtra’s political history.

Mahajan died late on Friday, and his final rites are scheduled to be conducted at the Vaikunth crematorium in Pune on Saturday afternoon, according to his family.

A veteran public figure, Mahajan was associated with Maharashtra’s socialist movement and remained active in public life for several decades. His political journey included involvement during the Emergency, association with the Janata movement, a long stint with the Congress and later more than a decade with the Nationalist Congress Party.

Mahajan’s political journey across changing political phases

Mahajan’s career reflected several important shifts in Maharashtra politics. He emerged from a socialist political background and was involved in public movements during a period when opposition politics was undergoing significant changes in the country.

He was imprisoned during the Emergency, an experience that became an important part of his political journey. His association with socialist politics continued to influence his approach to public issues and political debates throughout his career.

In the early 1990s, Mahajan joined the Congress from the Janata Dal fold along with Babanrao Pachpute. His association with the Congress marked another significant phase of his political life.

He later left the Congress in 1999 and joined the Nationalist Congress Party, remaining associated with the Sharad Pawar-led organisation for more than a decade.

Mahajan’s controversial NCP-Congress merger proposal

One of the most significant episodes of Mahajan’s later political career came in 2010, when he proposed that the NCP should merge with the Congress.

Mahajan conveyed his position through an open letter to NCP leader Sharad Pawar. He argued that the political circumstances that had resulted in the creation of the NCP in 1999 had changed and questioned whether there was still a strong reason for the two parties to remain separate.

At the time, the Congress and NCP were jointly running the Maharashtra government. Mahajan argued that the continued separation of the two parties was difficult to justify because, in his assessment, there was no substantial ideological difference between them.

His proposal generated strong reactions within the NCP. The disagreement ultimately contributed to his resignation from the party.

Mahajan maintained that his argument was rooted in the Congress’s historical role in India’s freedom struggle and his belief that the circumstances behind the NCP’s formation were no longer relevant in the same way.

Return to Congress

After leaving the NCP, Mahajan returned to the Congress and once again became an important political voice in Maharashtra.

He subsequently held senior organisational responsibilities in the party. He served as a senior spokesperson and later as vice-president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

His political career therefore crossed party boundaries while remaining strongly influenced by his socialist background and his longstanding involvement in public affairs.

Mahajan was also associated with the Maharashtra State Planning Board, where he served as executive chairman. His work extended beyond electoral politics and included participation in policy and public affairs.

Known for independent political views

Mahajan was regarded as a politician who frequently expressed his views independently. His statements and political interventions were often shaped by his socialist thinking and his experience in public movements.

His proposal for the merger of the NCP with the Congress became one of the defining political interventions of his later years. Although the proposal was controversial at the time, it reflected his broader argument about political ideology and the changing nature of Maharashtra’s political landscape.

His long career also placed him among the political figures who witnessed and participated in several important transitions in the state’s politics.

Congress pays tribute to Mahajan

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal expressed grief over Mahajan’s death and described his contribution as significant to the state’s social, political and ideological life.

Sapkal highlighted Mahajan’s intellectual depth, commitment to society and role in providing ideological guidance.

Mahajan’s death marks the end of a long public career that stretched across different political movements, parties and ideological phases. From his socialist roots and experience during the Emergency to his association with the Congress and NCP, his political journey reflected many of the changes that shaped Maharashtra politics over the past several decades.

His final rites will be held in Pune on Saturday afternoon.