Congress veteran Shivraj Vishwanath Patil succumbed to illness in his hometown in Latur, Maharashtra, on Friday morning. He was 90.

The Sonia Gandhi loyalist was Lok Sabha Speaker from 1991 to 1996, and Union home minister from 2004 to 2008, a post he quit after the Mumbai terror attack on November 26, 2008.

He was known for being impeccably dressed in bandhgalas and shiny white shoes, and always kept a comb in his pocket. This worked against him after bomb blasts in Delhi on September 13, 2008. Patil changed clothes thrice during his visits to the blast sites and hospitals.

On Friday, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for an hour to condole Patil’s death. As Speaker, Patil had instituted the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a photo of Patil presenting him a book recently and wrote: “Saddened by the passing of Shri Shivraj Patil Ji. He was an experienced leader, having served as MLA, MP, Union minister, Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha during his long years in public life…. I have had many interactions with him over the years, the most recent one being when he came to my residence a few months ago.”

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote on X: “He was an honoured senior colleague with whom I shared a close bond and many cherished memories. A statesman of great dignity, Shri Patil served the nation with distinction, holding key Constitutional and Parliamentary responsibilities and contributing significantly to India’s Democratic institutions. His demise is a profound loss for the Congress party and for all who admired his integrity, composure and commitment to public service.”

Patil is said to have backed Rajiv Gandhi to take on his brother Sanjay’s role, instead of Sanjay’s wife Maneka, after Sanjay’s death in an air crash. This endeared him to Sonia.

Patil was one of the prime ministerial hopefuls in 2004 but his chances nosedived when he lost the Latur election — one of his rare electoral defeats — to the BJP’s Rupatai Patil Nilangekar, the daughter-in-law of former Maharashtra chief minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar of the Congress.

He was also among the frontrunners to become the President in 2007, but was opposed
by the Left, which was upset with him for denying central forces to quell the Nandigram agitation months earlier. Patil is survived by his son Shailesh, daughter-in-law Archana and two granddaughters.