Lucknow: The body of Congress stalwart and only leader to have headed two states as Chief Minister, late Nairan Dutt Tiwari will be brought to Lucknow on Saturday. The former chief minister of Uttarakhand and UP, Tiwari died after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Delhi on Thursday, his 93rd birthday.
Having had his own identity and stature in Indian politics, ND Tiwari's body will be brought here in a special plane and it will be kept in the Assembly house for people to pay their tributes and last respect to the departed leader.
Tiwari will be cremated on Sunday, October 21, 2018, in Uttarakhand. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Delhi at 2.50 pm on a day which happened to be his birthday.
He had been ailing and admitted to the hospital since September last year. He was intermittently shifted in and out of ICUs depending on his health condition. In July this year, after he developed multiple organ failure, doctors had described his condition as 'very critical.' With the demise of UP's three-time former chief minister ND Tewari, a glorious chapter in the history of UP Congress came to an end.
He was the last CM of the party in Uttar Pradesh and had his third term between June 1988 and December 19989, after which the Congress has not been able to reclaim its stature in the biggest state of the country.
After 1989 elections, Congress has been projecting a dow ward trend and its seats have seen a constant decline. In the present assembly, the Grand Old Party has just seven MLAs and it is now looking for alliance partners to keep itself afloat.
Earlier, Tiwari held the UP CM's post twice -- between 1976 and 1977 (14 months) and August 1984 to 1985 (13 months). Tiwari was elected to UP Vidhan Sabha in the first elections in 1952 from Nainital constituency and then again in 1957 on Praja Socialist Party ticket.
Thereafter, he joined Congress in 1963 and shifted to Kashipur assembly seat. He became a minister for the first time in 1965. After his first tenure as the CM, he went to national politics and won from Nainital Lok Sabha seat. He served as a Union minister in several ministries. He also became deputy chairman of planning commission.