Lucknow, Jan 23 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi, Chief Minister Mayawati and leaders of various political parties have condoled the death of former central minister and Samajwadi Party leader Janeshwar Mishra.
In a statement late Friday night, Mayawati said people would remember Mishra’s contribution to society and politics during his long public career.

Among others who condoled Mishra’s death were state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Ramapati Ram Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi and senior Congress leader Pramod Tiwari.

The last rites of Mishra are to be performed Saturday afternoon at the Sangam in Allahabad, a party spokesperson said.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told reporters that former party general secretary Amar Singh and the party’s MP from Rampur Jaya Prada and several senior politicians rushed to Allahabad Friday evening and paid floral tributes at Mishra’s residence.

Mishra, 77, died of cardiac arrest Friday at the TB Sapru hospital in Allahabad, some 200 km from Lucknow. He is survived by his two daughters - Shanti and Meena.

A close associate of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, he was among the founders of the party. He was a central minister both in the 1977-79 Janata Party government and in the Janata Dal government of 1989-90.

He was among the few Samajwadi Party leaders who had worked with veteran socialist Ram Manohar Lohia. Mishra was often referred to as ‘chhote Lohia’.