Chhattisgarh Assembly Deputy Speaker Manoj Singh Mandavi dies of heart attack

Chhattisgarh Assembly's Deputy Speaker and ruling Congress MLA Manoj Singh Mandavi died on Sunday following a heart attack, party leaders said.

Mandavi, 58, died in the morning in a hospital in neighbouring Dhamtari town where he was shifted after he suffered a heart attack, state Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla said.

As a mark of respect to the departed leader, the Chhattisgarh government has announced one-day state mourning on Sunday in his home district Kanker and capital city Raipur, a public relations department official said.

Mandavi's last rites were performed in the evening at his native village in the Kanker district with state honours.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, his cabinet colleagues Kawasi Lakhma and Shiv Kumar Dahariya, state Congress Chief Mohan Markam, BJP MP Santosh Pandey and ruling party MLAs paid tribute to the deceased leader at Nathia Nawagaon village, located around 140 km away from Raipur.

Baghel lent his shoulder to Mandavi's mortal remains on the way to the cremation ground.

Mandavi's sons- Tushar and Aman- lit the funeral pyre.

"Mandavi, who represented the Bhanupratappur constituency in Kanker district, was at Nathia Nawagaon village in the Charama area of the district on Saturday night," said Sushil Anand Shukla.

After he complained of uneasiness, he was taken to a hospital in Charama. He was later shifted to a hospital in Dhamtari where he died this morning, he said.

A three-time MLA and a prominent tribal face of the party in the Bastar region, Mandavi had served as the minister of state for home and prisons in the Ajit Jogi-led Congress government between 2000 and 2003.

He was first elected as an MLA in 1998 in undivided Madhya Pradesh and later in 2013 and 2018 for the second and third time respectively.

Condolences poured in from various quarters, with leaders from both the ruling Congress and opposition BJP recalling Mandavi's contribution to the development of the tribal community and Bastar region.

The chief minister said Mandavi was a prominent tribal leader and his sudden demise has left everyone in a state of shock.

Mandavi would effectively raise the issues of adivasis. He always strived for the progress of the tribal community and the development of his region. His death is an irreparable loss to all of us, Baghel said.

State Assembly Speaker Charan Das Mahant described Mandavi as a simple and soft-spoken person.

His contribution towards the development of the state will also be always remembered, he added.

Chhattisgarh Health Minister T S Singh Deo, former chief minister and BJP national vice president Raman Singh and senior BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik also condoled Mandavi's demise.