Former Mumbai Mayor Ramesh Prabhu passes away at 78

Former Mumbai Mayor and ex-Shiv Sena legislator Ramesh Prabhu passed away here today after a prolonged illness. He was 78.

Prabhu had been ailing for the past five months, his son-in-law and former Congress MLA Krishna Hegde told PTI. The Sena leader was the Mayor of Mumbai in 1987.

Prabhu was in the news when the Supreme Court debarred him from contesting elections from 1995 to 2001 on the grounds he had sought votes in the name of religion during the 1990 Assembly polls.

Shiv Sena chief late Bal Thackeray was also banned from exercising his franchise for the same period after it was found he had "indulged in corrupt practice by seeking votes in the name of religion" while campaigning for Prabhu.

Prabhu had won the Vile Parle Assembly segment in Mumbai in a by-election in 1987-88 and retained the seat in 1990 polls.