Raipur, May 9: Chhattisgarh's first Chief Minister and founder of Janata Congress Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi died on Friday after prolonged illness, confirmed his son Amit Jogi. He was 74. For the past couple of months, he was being treated at the Shree Narayana Hospital in Raipur. He suffered from three cardiac arrests over the last 19 days - with the heart attack today triggering his demise. Over the past 24 hours, his condition was stated to be severely critical. Ajit Jogi Dies at 74: Chhattisgarh's Once-Tallest Leader Dies After Vehement Struggle to Keep Political Legacy Alive.

Jogi's son and relatives had arrived at the hospital since earlier today after his condition had acutely deteriorated. Supporters of the ex-chief minister were also visiting him in a restricted manner - considering the social distancing norms.

Dr Sunil Khemka, a senior doctor who was in-charge of Jogi's treatment, said he passed away at 3:30 pm. The best efforts were made to revive his heart activity but the back-to-back cardiac arrests hindered the attempts, he said.

On his death, Amit Jogi called it a loss not only for him but the entire state of Chhattisgarh. The entire 2.5 crore population of the state is grieving today, he added, referring to him as a "father-like figure" of Chhattisgarh which was carved out from Madhya Pradesh 20 years ago.

"The 20-year-old young state of Chhattisgarh has lost its father's shadow today. Not only me but Chhattisgarh has lost its father, not a leader. Honorable Ajit Jogi left his family of 2.5 crore people and went to God," he tweeted.

See Amit Jogi's Tweet

Jogi, a bureaucrat-turned-politician, was amongst the top leaders of the Congress until he broke ranks with the party in 2015. After Chhattisgarh was formed in 2000, he served as the first Chief Minister of the state till 2003. In 2018, he formed the Chhattisgarh Janata Congress to push forth a non-Congress, non-BJP front in the assembly elections. His party, however, failed to impress the electoral charts and faced a complete rout.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2020 03:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).