Former Himachal Pradesh assembly deputy speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal passes away

Former Himachal Pradesh assembly deputy speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal passed away early Tuesday morning due to cardiac arrest, a BJP spokesperson said. He was 70. Kaundal breathed his last at his native place in Bilaspur district, the spokesperson said

Rikhi, a senior BJP leader, was elected member of the state legislative assembly five times from Bilaspur's Jhandutta constituency

However, he was not allocated a ticket by the BJP in the last assembly elections in 2017. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Union Minister Anurag Thakur, former CM PK Dhumal and state BJP chief Rajeev Bindal have expressed their grief over Kaundal's demise.