Political leaders in Himachal condole demise of Ram Swaroop Sharma

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Wednesday expressed grief over the sudden demise of Lok Sabha MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, saying it's a great loss for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Thakur said that when he received the news, he could not believe it as he had a conversation with Sharma only a few days ago.

"He was a two-time MP from Mandi and in the last Lok Sabha elections, he had won by a huge margin of four lakh votes. His simplicity, friendliness was an example for many," said Thakur.

"He was physically weak from the past few days," he added.

The BJP MP died allegedly by suicide in the national capital, after which the party cancelled its Parliamentary Party meeting which was going to be held on Wednesday.

The Congress leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh assembly, Mukesh Agnihotri said that it is very unfortunate that the state has lost an "important and honest leader". Paying tribute to Sharma, Agnihotri said: "We have decided to adjourn the house after passing the resolution."

BJP legislator from Mandi l Sharma said that the state has lost a "great leader" and that it was an irreparable loss.

"It is a big loss for the BJP, state, and Mandi parliamentary constituency. He was a pure soul and had always worked for people but this incident is indeed a matter of investigation," said l.

The police recovered Sharma's body from his residence at Gomti Apartments in the national capital and have started an investigation into the case.

Born at Jalpehar village in the Mandi district on June 10, 1958, Sharma was a two-time MP. He was elected to the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha from Mandi parliamentary constituency in 2014 and 2019 respectively. Sharma was currently a member of the Standing Committee on External Affairs and the Consultative Committee, Ministry of External Affairs.

( With inputs from ANI )