Former politician and founder and chairman of Vinod Patel group of companies, Vinod Patel has passed away at the age of 84.
He passed away last night at the Lautoka Hospital after succumbing to severe head injuries sustained from a fall at his residence in Ba the previous day.
He was put on life support machine after the incident.
The late Patel was one of the industry leaders in the hardware sector and was also well known for his service to the community.
He served as Mayor of Ba, led many community projects and was also a board member and former President of Ba Football Association.
He entered politics as a councillor in Ba Town Council and was subsequently elected the Mayor and served two successful terms before moving to national politics.
Patel easily won the Ba West Indian Communal Constituency for the National Federation Party in the 1994 general election.
During the 1999 and 2001 elections he attempted to re-enter Parliament but was unsuccessful.
In 2017, he was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Indian honour) by the President of India for his social work.
His family will announce funeral arrangements today.
