Nagpur, Dec. 12 -- Maharashtra Congress on Friday condoled the passing of senior party leader and former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, remembering him as an erudite statesman whose dignified presence shaped parliamentary traditions for decades.

Describing Patil as a "guiding light," Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal said, "He served as Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly and the Lok Sabha... He was a highly cultured, well-educated person, and he will continue to be a guiding light for the times to come." Sapkal added that Patil's commitment to constitutional values and civility in public life would remain an enduring legacy for future generations.

Patil, 90, breathed his last at his residence in Latur on Friday mor...