Former Congress MLA Sheikh Rasheed Sheikh Shafi from Malegaon Central seat passes away at 68

Nashik: Former Congress MLA Sheikh Rasheed Sheikh Shafi, who represented the Malegaon Central assembly constituency in Maharashtra twice, has died at a private hospital in Nashik city following a brief illness, his family sources said on Tuesday.

Sheikh breathed his last late Monday night at the age of 68. He was not keeping well for the past few months and undergoing treatment, they said. His last rites were performed on Tuesday morning. People from all walks of life expressed grief over his demise.

Sheikh started his political career as a Congress councilor and later became the chairman of the Malegaon Municipal Council. He also served as the mayor of Malegaon city in 2017. He was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1999 and again in 2004. In his maiden assembly election, he proved to be a giant killer as he defeated Samajwadi Party (SP) stalwart Nihal Ahmed. He was also the city unit president of the Congress for some time.

Last year, Sheikh quit the Congress and joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He also served as the chairman of the Maharashtra State Powerloom Development Corporation for some time. His wife Tahera Sheikh was the mayor of Malegaon Municipal Corporation and his son Asif Sheikh was a legislator.