Veteran Congress Leader Virji Thummar Passes Away at 67, Tributes Pour In
Veteran Congress leader Virji Thummar dies at 67 after battling cancer, leaving a significant legacy in Gujarat politics.
Amreli, October 7 (Daily Kiran) : Senior Congress leader and former Amreli MP Virji Thummar passed away on Wednesday at the age of 67 after a prolonged battle with cancer. He died at his home around 12:15 PM. Thummar had been fighting the disease for the past four years.
Born on May 31, 1959, Thummar was a commerce graduate who entered public life as a farmer leader. His political career began early when he became a member of the Amreli District Panchayat. He represented the Babra assembly constituency in 1990, 1995, and 1998, before winning the Amreli Lok Sabha seat in 2004, serving until 2009.
Following his term in Parliament, Thummar returned to state politics and was elected as a Congress MLA from Lathi in 2017, a role he held until 2022. He contested the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections from Lathi again but was defeated by a BJP candidate. Within the Congress organization, Thummar served as general secretary and vice president, also leading the state unit of the Kisan Congress.
Thummar was also involved in the cooperative sector in Amreli. Randeep Singh Surjewala, the Congress national general secretary and Gujarat in-charge, described Thummar as a vital pillar of the state party unit. He expressed deep sorrow over Thummar’s passing, highlighting his simplicity, dedication, and strong ties to agriculture and farmers.
Amit Chavda, president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, and Dr. Tushar Chaudhary, leader of the Congress legislative party, noted the significant loss of a senior leader who provided effective leadership in both the cooperative sector and the party. They emphasized that Thummar dedicated his long public life to addressing issues related to farmers, the cooperative sector, and the general populace.
Leaders from both Congress and the ruling BJP paid their respects to Thummar. His daughter, Jeni Thummar, is also active in politics and contested the Amreli Lok Sabha seat for Congress in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
