KATHMANDU:  Union minister of state for railways and four-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) representing Karnataka’s Belagavi constituency, Suresh Angadi, has died of Covid-19. He was 65.

Angadi, a lawyer and education baron who rose through the ranks in the BJP after being appointed the vice-president of the party’s Belagavi district unit in 1996, is the fourth MP to succumb to the disease that has claimed around 90,000 lives in India.

“Shri Suresh Angadi was an exceptional karyakarta, who worked hard to make the party strong in Karnataka. He was a dedicated MP and effective minister, admired across the spectrum. His demise is saddening. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

The national flag will be flown at half mast on Thursday in government offices in Delhi due to Angadi’s demise, said a senior home ministry official.

Angadi announced on September 11 that he tested positive for the disease. He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi soon after for treatment. Angadi is survived by wife Mangala, and daughters Spoorthi and Shraddha.

(With inputs from Agencies)