Agra (UP): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh Minister Ramveer Upadhyaya passed away, family sources said on Saturday. He was 65.
Upadhyaya, who was Energy Minister in the Mayawati government, was suffering from cancer for more than a year and was under treatment at the Rainbow hospital, where he breathed his last on Friday night.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed grief over the demise of Upadhyaya.
Upadhyaya joined the BJP before this year’s Uttar Pradesh assembly elections but was not seen publicly after that. He held several important responsibilities in the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
He was elected an MLA for the first time from Hathras Sadar in 1996 and played an important role in getting Hathras the status of a separate district in 1997. As a Minister, he held the portfolios of transport, medical education, and rural development.
Upadhyaya was elected MLA from Hathras Sadar also in 2002 and 2007, from Sikandra Rao seat in 2012, and from Sadabad in 2017. The BSP named him to the Public Accounts Committee and he was the chief whip of the BSP Legislative Party.
His wife Seema Upadhyaya was elected Chairperson of the Zila Panchayat in 2002 and 2007. She was elected as an MP from Fatehpur Sikri in 2009 after defeating Raj Babbar. Currently, she is serving as the chairperson of the Zila Panchayat.
