Senior BJP leader Banshilal Mahto dies of liver ailment

Senior Chhattisgarh BJP leader and former MP Dr Banshilal Mahto died of a liver-related ailment on Saturday, a party leader said. Mahto was 79 and is survived by his wife, two sons and four daughters. He was admitted in a private hospital in Hyderabad on November 15 and died in the afternoon while being shifted in a critical condition to Korba, he said.

"As the air ambulance landed in Chakarbhata airstrip in Bilaspur district, doctors declared him dead. His mortal remains are being shifted to Korba by the road where his final rites will be performed on Sunday," he informed. An Ayurvedic doctor-turned-politician, Mahto was elected to Lok Sabha in 2014 from Korba, though he was denied a ticket by the BJP for the 2019 general elections.

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'As a doctor, he was always committed to treating people'

Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and BJP leaders expressed grief at Mahto's death. In her condolence message, the governor said, "Mr Mahto was not only a popular politician but was also an eminent social worker. As a doctor, he was always committed to treating people. He had also contributed significantly to the field of education." BJP state president Vikram Usendi and former chief minister Raman Singh in their condolence messages said Mahto contributed significantly in establishing the party in Korba area. Mahto was an MP in the previous NDA government (2014- 19) and served as a member of the Standing Committee on Coal and Steel and Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes, they said.

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