PUNE, Aug. 5 -- Dr D Y Patil, founder of the D Y Patil Group that pioneered private professional education in Maharashtra, former governor of Bihar, Tripura and West Bengal, and a Padma Shri awardee passed away at his Kolhapur residence on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He was 90. Born on October 22, 1935, in Ambap village of Kolhapur district, Patil began his public life in politics, serving as the mayor of Kolhapur from 1957 to 1962. He was elected as an MLA from Panhala in 1967 and again in 1972 before shifting his focus to education after 1978. Patil founded the D Y Patil Group in 1983, which today runs over 160 educational institutions, deemed universities, and medical and sports facilities across Navi Mumbai, Pune and Kolhapur. He established Navi Mumbai's first private engineering college and built the D Y Patil Stadium, which has hosted several international cricket matches. Politicians took to X to share their tributes. "Shri DY Patil Ji was at the forefront of serving society through philanthropy and education in particular," wrote PM Narendra Modi. "He always worked to improve the lives of others, especially the poor. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti." CM Devendra Fadnavis said that Patil had brought about "a revolutionary change in education by ensuring that quality education reached ordinary and underprivileged students". "He also established a world-class sports complex in Navi Mumbai and also made significant contributions to agriculture and social work," he wrote. NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar said, "The unparalleled work he accomplished in the fields of education, health, sports and social service will inspire generations. With his departure, Maharashtra has lost a visionary and socially committed personality. His affection, warmth and relentless zeal to bring about something positive for society, spanning many decades, will forever remain etched in memory." Other politicians shared their tributes with the media. "The demise of former governor, renowned educationist, and social worker Dr D Y Patil ji is extremely heartbreaking," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "His contributions to the fields of education and public service will always remain memorable." Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil said that Patil's passing marked "the end of an era in the fields of education, healthcare and social service" and said that his "visionary leadership" had resulted in a vast network of educational and medical institutions that imparted "quality education and healthcare". The education fraternity expressed grief at Patil's passing. MIT World Peace University executive president Rahul Karad called Patil's demise "an irreparable loss to Maharashtra's education fraternity". He belonged to a pioneering generation of educationists who transformed higher education in Maharashtra alongside visionaries such as Dr Vishwanath D Karad, the late Dr Kamalkishor Kadam and the late Patangrao Kadam, he said. Symbiosis International (Deemed University) chancellor Vidya Yeravdekar said that Patil was "an institution in himself". ".he built an extraordinary educational legacy by establishing universities, colleges and schools that transformed the lives of countless students. His passing is a profound loss to the education fraternity," she said....