Phagwara, April 1: Senior BJP leader and former Punjab minister Chaudhary Swarna Ram passed away here on Saturday evening, his family said. He was 83.

A prominent Dalit face of the party in the state, Ram was living with his son Mohan Lal Banga, a former MLA. When his health deteriorated, Ram was rushed to a private hospital but was declared dead, his family said. Shanti Bhushan Dies: Former Law Minister Passes Away at Age 97.

Ram represented the Phagwara (reserved) assembly seat twice. He was the minister for technical education, industrial training and social security in the erstwhile Parkash Singh Badal-led government as the Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP were allies then. Ram is survived by his daughter and two sons. Naba Das Dies: Odisha Health Minister Succumbs to Bullet Injuries Hours After He Was Shot in Jharsuguda District.

Union Minister Som Parkash and former Union minister and Chairman National Commission for Scheduled Castes Vijay Sampla were among several party leaders to mourn his death.

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