Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA dies of COVID-19

Bhopal, May 2 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA and former state minister Brijendra Singh Rathore died while undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a private hospital here on Sunday, a party leader said.

He was 63.

He was party's in-charge for the last month's Damoh Assembly bypoll in MP, of which counting of votes was underway on Sunday.

Rathore, who represented Prithvipur Assembly seat in Tikamgarh district, died in the evening following a cardiac arrest, State Congress general secretary Rajiv Singh told PTI.

The legislator had tested positive for the infection and was air-lifted to Bhopal from Jhansi about a week back, he said.

However, his condition started deteriorating from Sunday morning, Singh added.

Rathore is survived by his wife and a son, family sources said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief over his death.

In his condolence message, Chouhan said that Rathore was a true public servant and was in favour of healthy and clean politics. His death is an irreparable loss to the state, he added.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath said, "Rathore was a simple person and dedicated to the party. This is my personal loss." Rathore, a five-time MLA, had held a ministerial post in the erstwhile Kamal Nath-led Congress government.

He is the second Congress MLA to have died due to COVID-19 infection within a fortnight.

On April 24, Congress MLA from Jobat Assembly seat in Alirajpur district, Kalawati Bhuria, had succumbed to COVID-19 infection at a hospital in Indore. PTI COR ADU NP NP