<p>Former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sartaj Singh died in a hospital in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Thursday following a brief illness, his family sources said.</p>.<p>He was 83 and is survived by his wife and three daughters, they said.</p>.<p>Singh came into the limelight in 1998 after he defeated powerful Congress leader and former Union minister late Arjun Singh from Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituency.</p>.<p>He won the Lok Sabha elections five times from the Hoshangabad seat. He was also elected as an MLA twice later.</p>.<p>Singh served as the Union health minister in 1996 when the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power for just 13 days.</p>.<p>During 2013-18, he served as the forest minister in the cabinet led by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.</p>.<p>When BJP denied him a ticket for contesting MP assembly polls in 2018, he joined the Congress and contested as its candidate. However, he lost the elections and returned to the BJP after that.</p>.<p>His last rites will be performed in Itarsi on Friday, the sources said.</p>.<p>MP CM Chouhan expressed grief over Singh's death and said he was a popular leader from the Itarsi-Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) region.</p>.<p>His last rites will be performed with full state honours on Friday, he added.</p>
<p>Former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sartaj Singh died in a hospital in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Thursday following a brief illness, his family sources said.</p>.<p>He was 83 and is survived by his wife and three daughters, they said.</p>.<p>Singh came into the limelight in 1998 after he defeated powerful Congress leader and former Union minister late Arjun Singh from Hoshangabad Lok Sabha constituency.</p>.<p>He won the Lok Sabha elections five times from the Hoshangabad seat. He was also elected as an MLA twice later.</p>.<p>Singh served as the Union health minister in 1996 when the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power for just 13 days.</p>.<p>During 2013-18, he served as the forest minister in the cabinet led by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.</p>.<p>When BJP denied him a ticket for contesting MP assembly polls in 2018, he joined the Congress and contested as its candidate. However, he lost the elections and returned to the BJP after that.</p>.<p>His last rites will be performed in Itarsi on Friday, the sources said.</p>.<p>MP CM Chouhan expressed grief over Singh's death and said he was a popular leader from the Itarsi-Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) region.</p>.<p>His last rites will be performed with full state honours on Friday, he added.</p>