New Delhi, Sept. 8 (PTI): Romesh Bhandari, former Uttar Pradesh governor and ex-foreign secretary, died after protracted illness last night.

He was 85. Bhandari is survived by his wife and daughter.

The Lahore-born Bhandari, who was also governor of Tripura and Goa and the lieutenant governor of Delhi, was suffering from pancreatic cancer and had been admitted to Gurgaon’s Medanta Hospital, family sources said.

A hospital spokesperson said: “Bhandari was admitted on August 31…. He was admitted to the ICU and he died at 9.50pm last night of multi-organ failure.”

He was cremated this evening at the Lodhi Road crematorium. Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, former cabinet minister Natwar Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Punj, former diplomat Salman Haider and a host of public figures attended the funeral.

Condoling the death, Dikshit described Bhandari as an “able administrator”.

Born on March 29, 1928, Bhandari had joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1950 as the vice-consul at the New York consulate. Bhandari, who was made Uttar Pradesh governor in July 1996 when the state was under President’s rule, was the foreign secretary between 1985-86.

Rajiv Gandhi appointed him chairperson of the Congress’s foreign cell after his retirement.