AKOLA: Former Maharashtra minister Babasaheb Dhabekar died on Tuesday after prolonged illness, family sources said.
The 89-year-old Congress leader was admitted to a Mumbai hospital where he died, the sources said.
Dhabekar was water resources minister when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government came to power for the first time in the 1990s.
Former chief minister Ashok Chavan paid tributes to Dhabekar, saying he dedicated his entire life for serving people.
"His contribution in the co-operative and education sectors, besides the social services will be remembered forever. Tributes to Babasaheb Dhabekar," Chavan tweeted.
Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat also paid homage to Dhabekar.