SRINAGAR: Former Basohli legislator Jagdish Raj Spolia passed away following a prolonged illness at his residence in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday evening. He was 80.
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Union Minister Jitendra Singh expressed grief over his demise in a post on X, describing the news as “extremely heartbreaking and soul-wrenching”.
“His commitment to public service and his contributions to the development of the region will always be remembered. In this hour of grief, my deepest condolences are with the bereaved family and his supporters,” Singh said.
Spolia, a two-time MLA from the Basohli Assembly constituency, is survived by his wife and two sons. His last rites were performed at Shanti Ghat in Basohli on Monday morning, with a large number of people gathering to pay their last respects.
He was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 1987 from Basohli on a Congress ticket. In 1999, he left the Congress and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Spolia returned to the Assembly in 2008 after winning the Basohli seat on a BJP ticket. He later rejoined the Congress and contested the 2014 Assembly elections but failed to secure victory. He subsequently returned to the BJP.
Spolia had remained bedridden for an extended period due to his illness.