Hamirpur (HP), Jun 2 (PTI) Former Himachal Pradesh MLA Amar Singh Chaudhary passed away Wednesday following a prolonged illness. He was 85.

A veteran Dalit leader and a former Bhartiya Jansangh MLA, Chaudhary breathed his last at his Ropri village in Hamirpur district.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur expressed grief over his demise, an official spokesperson said in Shimla.

Chaudhary was elected MLA twice -- 1967 and 1977 -- from what was then the Mewa assembly constituency in Hamirpur district.

He had been keeping unwell for a long due to his old age.

Prior to joining active politics, he served in the revenue department as a senior clerk at the Hamirpur SDM office.

He was also the vice-chairman of the Antayoday Corporation when Shanta Kumar was the chief minister of the state.

Chaudhry leaves behind his wife, a son, and grandchildren.

In his condolence message, the chief minister said Chaudhary would always be remembered by the people of Bhoranj area for his contributions in development there.

(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)