LUCKNOW: Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and senior Samajwadi Party leader Ahmed Hasan died at a hospital in Lucknow on Saturday following a prolonged illness. He was 89.
He is survived by two sons and five daughters. Hasan was admitted to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Lucknow a few days ago and passed away at 11 am on Saturday, his son-in-law Fida Hussain Ansari said. He will be buried at his ancestral place Jalalpur in Ambedkarnagar district on Sunday.
Hasan is a retired police officer and was brought into politics by Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav. He served as a cabinet minister in the SP government in the state. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his grief at Hasan's demise.
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in a tweet in Hindi said, "The death of senior leader of Samajwadi Party and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmed Hassan is a matter of great sadness for all of us.