MoS Railways Suresh Angadi passes away due to COVID-19

Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi passed away in New Delhi on September 23, 2020 due to COVID-19. He is the first Union Minister to have succumbed to the deadly virus.

The Minister had tested positive for COVID-19 on September 11 and was under treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the time of death. He passed away at the AIIMS trauma centre which has been converted into a dedicated Covid-19 facility.

Suresh Angadi was roped in as a minister of state in the Union Council of ministers in May 2019. He was a four-time Lok Sabha MP from Belagavi in Karnataka. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 and had been winning from Belagavi constituency successively since then. 

The Union Minister had himself announced through a tweet on September 11 that he had contracted the virus and he had requested all those who came in close contact with him to monitor their health and get tested in case of any symptoms.

PM Narendra Modi condoled the leader's passing through a tweet that read that Suresh Angadi was an exceptional Karyakarta, who worked hard to make the Party strong in Karnataka. The Prime Minister also wrote in his tweet that Angadi was a dedicated MP and effective Minister, admired across the spectrum. 

Shri Suresh Angadi was an exceptional Karyakarta, who worked hard to make the Party strong in Karnataka. He was a dedicated MP and effective Minister, admired across the spectrum. His demise is saddening. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/2QDHQe0Pmj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 23, 2020

President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted expressing his shock on the passing of Suresh Angadi. The President in his tweet praised Angadi, calling him an amiable leader who worked tirelessly for the people of his constituency, Belagavi and Karnataka.

With his indomitable spirit, he carried out public service with humility and perseverance. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the loved ones.

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 23, 2020

Suresh Angadi: His Political Journey

• Suresh Angadi had begun his political journey by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1996 from Belagavi district in North Karnataka.

• He was among the senior BJP leaders in north Karnataka. He was among the earliest Lingayat leaders from the non-Sangh Parivar background to join the BJP in Karnataka.

• Suresh Angadi had been a part of the team that had organised LK Advani’s rath yatra in the region.

• He had served as a member of parliament since 2004 and as minister of state for railways from 2019 until he died in 2020. He was a lawyer by training but chose to enter politics. 

• He was elected to the Lok Sabha four consecutive times from the Belagavi constituency starting from 2004. He was re-elected in 2009, 2014 and 2019. 

• He was known to be a soft-spoken and non-controversial leader.

Suresh Angadi is the first Union minister to have died of COVID-19. Six MLAs and three MPs had earlier succumbed to the virus. Former President Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away on August 31, had also tested positive for COVID-19 positive.