New Delhi, June 24: Madan Lal Saini, chief of the Rajasthan unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), died on Monday after prolonged illness. The 75-year-old veteran politician breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), where he was being treated for the past few weeks.

Two days ago, Saini was visited at the hospital by several BJP leaders, including his long-time colleague and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Letter Threatening to 'Kill Narendra Modi' Received at BJP’s Jaipur Office, Rajasthan Police Say Mischief

Saini is credited for strengthening the organisational strength of the BJP in Rajasthan -- a state which was a Congress bastion till the early '90s. In the Rajasthan assembly, he had earlier represented the constituency of Udaipurwati.

In March 2018, Saini was sent to the Rajya Sabha. In June last year, he took over as the Rajasthan state president in the backdrop of severe drubbings faced by the party in bypolls.

Saini played a role in a strong performance by the BJP in state assembly elections, despite being predicted to be wiped out due to "massive anti-incumbency wave" in the state. The party ended up winning 75 seats, and restricted the resurgent Congress to 99 constituencies -- one less than the halfway majority mark.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2019 08:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).