Chandigarh, May 18 (IANS): Ratan Lal Kataria, a three-time BJP MP from Haryana's Ambala and also a former union minister, passed away in the PGI Hospital here on Thursday. He was 72 years old.

Kataria was associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for over a half century. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

He was undergoing treatment for pneumonia.

Kataria resigned as Union Minister of State in July 2021 after two years of his stint.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kataria had defeated incumbent Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Kumari Selja from the Ambala (Reserved) seat by securing 57 per cent votes with a huge margin of about 3.42 lakh votes.

Before this, he was elected as an MP from the Ambala Lok Sabha seat in 1999 and 2014. He faced defeat twice from Kumari Selja in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Speaker Gian Chand Gupta mourned the demise of Kataria, who will be cremated with state honours in Panchkula later in the day.