Dilip Sarkar (62), former Tripura Minister and five-time MLA from Badharghat in Agartala, died early on Monday after a prolonged illness.
He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in New Delhi and was put on ventilation a few days ago. He was declared dead at around 3 a.m., said his family members.
Sarkar was a briefly a Minister during the Congress- Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti coalition government in 1988. Despite being a diehard Congressman, he joined the BJP before the February 2018 Assembly elections which ended the 20-year rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Front in the State. He was close to former Central Minister and Congress stalwart late Santosh Mohan Deb.
Tripura Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman, PCC Chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarman and many others expressed condolences on his demise. His mortal remains would be brought to Agartala on Tuesday, State BJP’s media in-charge Victor Som said. Sarkar will be given a State funeral, official sources said.