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Former Union minister and senior BJP leader passes away. File
Former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sartaj Singh died in a hospital in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Thursday following a brief illness, his family sources said.
He was aged 83 and is survived by his wife and three daughters, they said.
Singh came into the limelight in 1998 after defeating powerful Congress leader and former Union minister late Arjun Singh from Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh.
He was elected to Lok Sabha five times from the Hoshangabad seat. He was also elected as an MLA twice later.
Singh served as the Union Health Minister in 1996 when the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power for 13 days.
He served as the Forest Minister from 2013 to 2018 in the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
When BJP denied him a ticket for contesting Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls in 2018, he joined the Congress and contested as its candidate. However, he lost the elections and returned to the BJP shortly after.
His last rites will be performed in Itarsi on Friday, the sources said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Chouhan expressed grief over Singh’s death and added that his last rites will be performed with full state honours.
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