Senior BJP leader and Bihar former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who was suffering from cancer, died on Monday night in a New Delhi hospital.

Modi, 72, served as the deputy chief minister of Bihar from 2005 to 2013, and again between 2017 and 2020.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several senior leaders condoled the death of the BJP leader.

“The BJP family is deeply saddened by the news of the demise of former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and former Rajya Sabha MP Shri Sushil Kumar Modi,” the state unit of the party said in a post on X.

This is an irreparable loss for Bihar and the entire BJP family, it said.

He breathed his last at around 9.45 pm at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, sources in the hospital said.

According to party sources, he will be cremated on Tuesday in Patna.

Last month, the BJP leader took to X to announce that he was battling cancer for the last six months and will not be able to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections.

“I have told everything to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I will always remain grateful and dedicated to the country, Bihar, and the party,” he had said in the April 3 post.

In his condolence message, President Droupadi Murmu said the sudden demise of Sushil Kumar Modi is an irreparable loss.

Similarly, the Prime Minister said Sushil Kumar Modi has played an invaluable role in the rise and success of the BJP in Bihar. PTI