LUCKNOW: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Lakhimpur Kheri’s Gola Gokarannath Assembly constituency, Arvind Giri 65, died after he suffered a massive heart attack in his car while on his way from his constituency to the state capital Lucknow on Monday night.
The MLA, 65, died near Sidhauli township in Sitapur district while on his way to Lucknow. A five-term MLA, Giri had been a party hopper. He remained Samajwadi MLA for three terms, and a BJP MLA for two terms. In between, he joined Congress as well but for a very short time and left it after losing the 2012 Assembly election on its ticket.
In fact, Giri started his political career as a student leader in 1993 and joined the Samajwadi party in 1994. After being elected Gola Municipality Chief in 1995, Giri became MLA for the first time in 1996 on a Samajwadi party ticket. Between 1998-99, he also served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
In 2000, Giri was elected as the Chief of Gola municipality. He was later elected as MLA in 2002 and 2007 from the Haiderabad seat, which was later renamed Gola Gokarannath after delimitation, on a Samajwadi party ticket.
In 2005, during the Samajwadi party’s government's rule in the state, Giri was elected as the District Panchayat President. In 2012, he contested the state assembly election on a Congress ticket but lost. Later, he joined the BJP and won the election in 2017 and 2022 on the saffron party’s ticket.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary expressed grief and extended condolences on the sudden demise of their party legislator.
“The demise of BJP MLA Shri Arvind Giri Ji from Gola assembly constituency of Lakhimpur Kheri district is extremely sad. My condolences are with the bereaved families. May Lord Shri Ram grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this unfathomable loss. On Shanti," Chief Minister tweeted. Samajwadi Party Chief and former CM Akhilesh Yadav also expressed grief over Giri’s death.