From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jan 26: During the campaigning for Goa State Legislative assembly election, Karnataka’s former MLA and current Congress state spokesman U Bhupathi, who is also the spokesperson of KPCC, died after suffering cardiac arrest.
Bhupathi was walking door to door in Mapusa constituency campaigning for party candidate Vijay Bhike when he collapsed. He was accompanied by the Congress workers who called the ambulance which arrived 45 minutes later.
The former legislator was declared brought in dead at the government-run district hospital in Mapusa.
Party’s leader Nanda Mahtre said that Bhupathi had arrived in Goa on Tuesday from Bengaluru was campaigning in Mapusa constituency’s Ganganagar area. The ward is dominated by Kannadiga population.
"He was campaigning from 10 am till 3.30 pm when he suffered the cardiac arrest. He had visited all the houses in this area and had heard the sentiments of the people," Mhatre said.
"The women in that area had told him that there were no basic facilities made available to them by the state government," she said.
Bhupati is a former MLA from Karnataka’s Sandur constituency in Bellari. "Suddenly he fell ill and collapsed. The ambulance took almost 45 minutes to reach there," Mhatre said.
"He had already covered over 150 houses in the constituency. He was touched by the problems expressed by the people," she said.
"He died due to massive cardiac arrest. He also had a past medical history of by-pass surgery," Dr Madhu Godhikrikar attached to forensic department of Goa Medical College and Hospital said. The postmortem was conducted by Dr Ankush Patil.
Bhupati's younger son Siddharth rushed to Goa this morning after hearing the news and took custody of the mortal remains which were flown to Bengaluru from state’s Dabolim airport in the afternoon.
"The final rites would be performed on his body at his native Bellari village from where he was elected to the legislative assembly," Siddharth said.
All India Congress Committee secretary Girish Chodankar termed Bhupathi as humble person.