Raipur, Nov 4 (PTI) Chhattisgrah Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday expressed grief over the demise of JCC(J) MLA and former MP Devvrat Singh, saying the state has lost an energetic and popular public representative.

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The CM gave instructions that Singh's last rites be performed with full state honours, a government official said.

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Singh died following cardiac arrest at Khairagarh in neighbouring Rajnandgaon district in the wee hours of Thursday.

The 52-year-old leader, who belonged to the erstwhile royal family of Khairagarh, was a four-time MLA from Khairagarh and was once also elected to the Lok Sabha from Rajnandgaon.

"Chhattisgarh has lost an energetic and popular public representative. The death of Shri Singh at a young age is an irreparable loss to the state's politics," a government statement said quoting Baghel.

The CM expressed deep condolences to the bereaved family members and prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace, it said.

Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) state chief Amit Jogi said the untimely demise of such a young, intelligent and experienced leader has left a void in the state's politics that cannot be easily filled.

"The entire state is shocked upon hearing the news of Shri Singh's untimely demise...We met only 25 days ago and he had boosted my morale like an elder brother as he always did," Jogi said.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik described Singh as a sensitive public representative and said his untimely demise is an "irreparable loss to all of us".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)