Veteran Cong leader Gyan Singh Sohanpal dies

Veteran Congress leader and former Speaker of West Bengal Assembly Gyan Singh Sohanpal died at SSKM hospital on Tuesday.

He was 92 and was affectionately known as "Chacha". He was suffering from age related ailments and was admitted to the hospital last week.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condoled his death and tweeted: "Saddened at the passing away of Gyan Singh Sohan Pal ji. We have lost a veteran legislator. My condolences to his family & friends. He was a very senior member of the West Bengal Assembly. On Wednesday, the government will give his mortal remains a gun salute." Born in 1925, Sohanpal took part in the Quit India movement in 1942 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He contested his first election in 1962 and became a minister in the Cabinet of Ajay Mukherjee in 1969. In Siddhartha Shankar Roy's Cabinet, he was the minister for Transport, Jail and Parliamentary Affairs. He represented Kharagpur Sadar since 1982.

He was a Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for a brief period from May 18, 2011 to May 30, 2011 as the senior most member of the Assembly.

Sohanpal lost to Dilip Ghosh, state president of BJP in the 2016 Assembly polls.

Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi expressed his deep grief at the sad demise of Gyan Singh Sohonpal.