BJP leader and former MoS Jayawantiben Mehta passes away

Former Union Minister of State and BJP leader Jayawantiben Mehta passed away here in the wee hours on Monday after a brief illness. She was 78.

Mehta, the former minister of state for power, breathed her last around 1:25 am. The last rites will take place at 5.30 pm at Shivaji Park crematorium Mumbai, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye told PTI.

Mehta was made the minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet in 1999.

She rose in the BJP ranks to become a corporator, an MLA and later a Lok Sabha member, succeeding late Murli Deora from the South Mumbai constituency.