Jayalalithaa is dead: Here are other chief ministers who died while still in office

Like mentor, like pupil. Resonating a common chord with her mentor MG Ramachandran, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa (her name is sometimes also spelt as Jayalalitha) passed away on Monday while in power, thus becoming the third chief minister from the state to have met such fate. Ramchandran’s mentor CN Annadurai, who formed the DMK, was the first chief minister of the state to have died while still in power. Indian politics is filled with names of politicians who died while in office. Here is a list to help jog your memory: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed: Jammu and Kashmir, died on 7 January 2016 Cause of death: Natural The other most recent chief minister to have died while in power, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed passed away earlier this year in January leaving the reins to his daughter Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed, who is now the current chief minister of the state. The leader of the People’s Democratic Party, Sayeed died of multiple organ failure on 7 January 2016.

Obituary: Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, a democrat, a nationalist and a Titan of modern Kashmir https://t.co/aLG1JAT4u5 pic.twitter.com/buIiWgC0Sk

— Firstpost (@firstpost) January 7, 2016

Dorjee Khandu: Arunachal Pradesh, died on 30 April 2011 Cause of death: Helicopter crash The sixth chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu died in a helicopter crash near Sela Pass on 30 April, 2011. Member of the Indian National Congress, Khandu and four others were on their way to Itanagar, but the helicopter carrying them never reached its destination. The helicopter crashed near Tawang district. The cause of the crash is said to be poor condition of the helicopter. [caption id=“attachment_3142982” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The body of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was kept for public viewing at Rajaji Hall in Chennai on Tuesday. PTI[/caption] YS Rajashekhar Reddy: Andhra Pradesh, died on 2 September 2009 Cause of death: Helicopter crash YS Rajashekhar Reddy, popularly known as YSR, served in office from 2004 to 2009. The helicopter carrying YSR and five others went missing in the Nallamala forest. YSR along with five others travelling with him were declared dead on the site of crash after the remains of the helicopter were found on top of Rudrakonda Hill. The chief minister of former Andhra Pradesh was known for winning every election he ever contested. Beant Singh: Punjab, died on 31 August 1995 Cause of death: Assasination Known for taming terrorism in the state of Punjab, Beant Singh was killed by a suicide bomber in 1995. According to an India Today, report, the attack killed Singh and 15 others, including the “suicide bomber”. His assassination generated a lot of controversy around the cause of the death while at the same time exposing the glaring cracks in the chief minister’s security system. Chimanbhai Patel: Gujarat, died on 17 February 1994 Cause of death: Heart failure Known as a person, who ate, drank, breathe and lived politics, Chimanbhai Patel had a strong influence in the state as well as national politics. So much that then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, Arjun Singh, LK Advani and several other ministers came to pay their respects. Patel died at the height of his political career due to a heart failure, but his death also caused a power struggle within his party. MG Ramachandran: Tamil Nadu, died on 24 December 1987 Cause of death: Prolonged illness Mentor to J Jayalalithaa, who passed away on Monday, MG Ramachandran (popularly known as MGR) commanded a lot of respect from his followers and ministers. A  popular icon of South Indian film industry, though MGR had joined politics at a later phase of his life, he was the first popular film actor to be a chief minister in India. MGR was elected to the office of chief minister thrice: June 1977 to June 1980 (1st term); 1980 to 1984 (2nd term); 1985 to 1987 (third term) serving a total of 10 years. He died on 24 December 1987 because of a prolonged illness Sheikh Abdullah: Jammu and Kashmir, died 8 September 1982 Cause of death: Prolonged illness The founding leader of the National Conference, Sheikh Abdullah was highly revered by his followers. Like Jayalalithaa, Abdullah remained in a critical state of health for many months before he passed away on 8 September 1982. A strong advocate of the “right to self-determination of the Jammu and Kashmir” and strong propagator of Kashmir nationalism, Abdullah is often seen as a controversial figure and was charged with corruption, but despite that remained a highly loved political figure in Kashmir. He won the election in 1974 with a huge majority and was re-elected. He remained as chief minister until his death in 1982 Barkatullah Khan: Rajasthan, 11 October 1973 Cause of death: Natural Barkatullah Khan was a leader of the Indian National Congress who served as chief minister of Rajasthan for 27 months between 1971 to 1973. Being the only Muslim leader to be elected to the post of chief minister in Rajasthan, Khan tried to sort out several of the problems of the Muslim community of the state but died before completing his full term on 11 October 1973. A greatly loved leader, the cricket stadium in Jodhpur is named after him. Dayanand Bandodkar: Goa, 12 August 1973 A wealthy minor, Dayanand Bandodkar was the first chief minister of independent Goa. After the Portuguese returned the territory to India, Bandodkar formed his own party, Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, and swept the polls in 1963, 1967 and in 1972 and remained in power until his death on 12 August 1973. He was succeeded by his daughter Shashikala Kakodkar. A much-loved leader in Goa, Bandodkar was affectionately called Bhau or Bhausaheb. Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq: Jammu and Kashmir, died on 12 December 1971 A National Conference ideologue with Marxist leanings, Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq is probably one of the most controversial chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir. Several of whose policies were controversial and allegedly thought to have widened the Hindu-Muslim divide in the state. However, his honesty as a person and an able administrator won him the respect of the people. He was often described as the able administrator of a corrupt regime. CN Annadurai: Tamil Nadu, died on 3 February 1969 Cause of death: Cancer Founder of the DMK and mentor to MG Ramachandran, CN Annadurai was the first Dravidian to be elected to office in Tamil Nadu. He was also the first non-Congress leader to form a government in the state. A well-known orator and Tamil writer, Annadurai was also one of the leading faces in South Indian politics and activism. He died two years after elected to office due to cancer. These are just some of the names, there are several other political leaders who died while in power, including Marotrao Kannamwar (Maharashtra, 24 November 1963), Bidhan Chandra Roy (West Bengal, 1 July 1962), Sri Kirshna Sinha (Bihar, 31 January 1961), Ravishankar Shukla (Madhya Pradesh, 31 January 1961) and Gopinath Bordoloi (Assam, 5 August 1950)