Kerala BJP leader B V Sekhar passes away in Kochi

Mr B V Sekhar, vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kerala unit, died at in Kochi today after a brief illness.

He was 52. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.

Sekhar, who had contested in the recent elections to the State Assembly from Thiruvananthapuram constituency, was admitted to the Amirta Institute of Medical Sciences following liver-related ailments on April 11. His condition worsened this morning and he died, hospital sources said.

BJP national president Nitin Gadkari condoled the demise of Mr Sekhar and described it as an irreplaceable loss to his family and to the party.

"Sekhar had a long and distinguished association with the party. An advocate by profession, Sekhar joined the party in 1984 and worked tirelessly to expand its mass base in the state," Mr Gadkari said.

Mr Gadkari added that the contributions made by Sekhar in spreading the message of the party to people at large had strengthened the party cadre in Kerala and given it a mass following among people.

NNN