Meerut, Jan 17 : Om Prakash Sharma, the senior-most former member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, has passed away in Meerut. He was 87. He died on Saturday night. Sharma was a member of the Legislative Council for 48 years and had lost the elections for a ninth term, last month. Also a senior and experienced teacher leader, he had participated in the ongoing state-wide dharna at the district school inspector's office. In his condolence message, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Sharma's demise has caused irreparable damage to the education industry. Sharma, who was a teacher and principal, had been representing this seat on behalf of the Teachers Association continuously since the 1970s. He had become synonymous with the Teachers Association for the past several decades. /IANS