Madhya Pradesh: Senior Congress leader Hazarilal Raghuwanshi dead

Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh minister Hazarilal Raghuwanshi died on Thursday following a prolonged illness, family sources said.

He was 93 and is survived by his wife, five sons and two daughters, they said.

A native of Seoni Malwa town in Hoshangabad district, Raghuwanshi was a five-time MLA from the Assembly constituency and also served as a minister in various Congress-led governments in the state, the party sources said.

The senior leader was elected as an MLA for the first time in 1977 and he also served as a deputy speaker in the state Assembly from 2003-2008.

Former chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh expressed their deep condolences over the veteran leader's death.

Raghuwanshi's last rites will be performed on the banks of Narmada river near Seoni-Malwa on Friday, the sources added.