Latur, March 2 Renowned educationist and former Rajya Sabha member Dr. Janardan Waghmare passed away in Latur city, Maharashtra, on Monday morning after a brief illness, family sources said.
He was 91 years old.
Waghmare was admitted to a hospital here on January 24 after falling ill. He passed away at his residence here at around 8 am on Monday, the sources said.
He was a close aide to NCP founder Sharad Pawar and was widely recognized for his lifelong contributions to education, literature, and public service.
Waghmare was the founder and vice-chancellor of Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded.
Born on November 11, 1934, in Janwal village of Chakur tehsil, Waghmare served as a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra between 2008 and 2014. During his parliamentary tenure, he was a member of several key committees, including agriculture, human resource development, defense, and external affairs.
He also served as the president of the Latur Municipal Council from 2001 to 2006.
Waghmare established the Rajarshi Shahu College in Latur and served as its principal.
He is considered the architect of the "Latur Model" for academic excellence, a model where students from the region consistently dominate merit lists in board and entrance exams.
Waghmare also authored over 80 books in Marathi, Hindi, and English on education, social reforms, Dalit literature, philosophy, and biographies, and several of his works received state-level literary awards.
He was awarded the Maharashtra Bhushan Award and the Yashwantrao Chavan Literary Award, among other government honors, for his contributions to education and literature.
Waghmare also presided over major literary conferences across Maharashtra and at the national level.
His last rites will be performed at Kavtha village in the district on Tuesday.