In a shocking development, a BJP MLA in the state of Himachal Pradesh has passed away on Saturday at the age of 69 due to post COVID-19 complications. Several state and national leaders have been paying tribute to the deceased leader and expressing condolences to the family members. 

According to reports, Narinder Bragta was a sitting MLA of BJP and he had tested positive for the COVID-19 viral infection on April 23 and he was getting treated at PGI Hospitals in Chandigarh. The 69-year-old leader had served as the horticulture minister in the state and he was also serving as the Chief Whip of the party in the current state assembly. 

He was getting treated to the pandemic and though he recovered from the infection, he had developed post-Covid complications due to comorbidities following which he was rushed to PGI Hospitals in Chandigarh. He was under a life support system and amid the efforts to save him, Bragta had breathed his last in the wee hours of Saturday. 

His son Chetan Bragta had taken to Twitter and shared the news that his father has passed away. Narinder Bragta was known for his work and expertise in horticulture and farm issues. As a three-time legislator, Bragta had served as a cabinet minister twice in the BJP government headed by Prem Kumar Dhumal in 1998-2003 and later in 2007-2012. Initially, Bragta had remained active in the farmers' movements and he went on to create his stronghold in the state. 

According to reports, Bragta was first elected to the assembly in 1998 from Shimla and he had been representing the Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency in the current assembly. After learning Bragta's demise, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had cancelled all his official engagements for the day including a cabinet meeting during which a decision over the lockdown in the state was to be taken. 

Paying tribute to Bragta's death, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said that the party had lost a very sincere, hardworking, and dedicated leader whose loss is irreparable. Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal had also expressed grief at the demise of Bragta and stated that he was a very sincere leader who always worked for the development of the people. 

BJP National Council Member and BJP's Himachal Pradesh unit co-in charge Sanjay Tandon took to Twitter and said, "Paid my heartfelt tributes to Narinder Bragta, Chief Whip, Former Minister Himachal Pradesh, prayed to Lord to give peace to departed soul and strength to the family members to bear this huge loss. Om Shanti."