Gorakhpur, May 17 : Veteran politician from eastern Uttar Pradesh and former cabinet minister, Hari Shankar Tiwari, 89, passed away at his residence in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur on Tuesday night. He had been suffering from acute kidney problem for the last few years. His last rites will be performed at Mukti Path in Barhalghanj town of Gorakhpur district on Wednesday, said his son Vinay Shankar Tiwari. Tiwari was from Tanda village of Barhalghanj town. He became a railway contractor after completing education and later emerged as a strong Brahmin leader of eastern Uttar Pradesh. He won Chillupar Assembly seat of Gorakhpur for five consecutive terms. He lost the election from there in 2007. He served as a Minister under the Kalyan Singh and the Rajnath Singh and other governments in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav expressed grief over the demise of Tiwari in a tweet. /IANS