Kanker, March 9: Former Bharatiya Janata Party Lok Sabha MP and president of Chhattisgarh Sarva Adivasi Samaj Sohan Potai died at the age of 65 on Thursday.

Potai was suffering from a throat-related ailment from the last six-seven months and breathed his last at around 10 am at his house in Kanker town, located 150 km away from capital Raipur, said Akbar Ram Korram, state president of Gondwana Gond Mahasabha. AH Scott Dies: Former Meghalaya Finance Minister Passes Away at 93.

"He was discharged from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur on Tuesday and shifted to his home in Kanker. His mortal remains will be taken to Babu Dabena, his native village there, where the final rites will be performed later in the day," said Korram who was closely associated with Potai.

A prominent tribal leader from Bastar region in south Chhattisgarh, Potai was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kanker on a BJP ticket in 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009. Satyabrata Mookherjee Dies: Former Union Minister Passes Away; PM Narendra Modi, JP Nadda Condole Demise of BJP Leader.

He was denied a ticket in the 2014 Lok Sabha election and in 2016 was suspended from the BJP for alleged anti-party activities. Senior BJP MLAs Raman Singh and Dharamlal Kaushik expressed grief over Potai's demise.