Former Union minister and senior BJP leader, Bachi Singh Rawat, has passed away at the age of 71 on Sunday.

The minister was admitted to All-India Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday after he complained of difficulty in breathing.

He was airlifted from Haldwani and was rushed to the emergency ward of the hospital. As per a report, preliminary tests suggest it was an infection in the lungs that led to his death. His COVID test came negative initially but later was found to be infected.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat condoled the former minister's death and prayed for peace to his soul and strength to the bereaved family.

Rawat was a Union minister of state for science and technology in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was also a four-time MP from the Almora-Pithoragarh constituency.