Madhya Pradesh: Ex minister Laxmikant Sharma dies of Covid-19

BHOPAL: Senior BJP leader and former minister, Laxmikant Sharma, passed away on Monday due to Covid-19. Sharma was admitted to a private hospital in the state capital on May 12 after testing positive for Covid-19. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has condoled the demise of the senior leader.
"Received sad news about the demise of former minister and senior leader Shri Laxmikant Shamra ji. I pray to God to give peace to the departed soul and strength to the family to bear the loss," tweeted Chouhan, on Monday evening.
Family sources disclosed that Sharma tested positive on May 11 and was shifted to a private hospital where he was undergoing treatment for the last 20 days."Laxmikant Sharma was admitted to the hospital on May 12. He breathed his last today evening due to bilateral severe Covid pneumonia," said Dr Ajay Goenka, managing director of Chirayu hospital.
Sharma, 60, was elected MLA for the first time in 1993. During this tenure, he was awarded outstanding legislator award by the assembly speaker. A four-term member of House, Sharma was elected from Sironj assembly constituency in Vidisha district in 1998, 2003 and 2008 too.
He was first appointed as minister of state in the Uma Bharti led BJP government in 2003. He also served as minister of mineral and public relations. During Babulal Gaur's government, Sharma was appointed as minister of culture and later, in 2008 elevated as minister in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government where he was given mineral and higher education portfolios.
In 2014, Sharma was named in the infamous Vyapam scam and charge sheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with 87 other accused. He was given a clean chit by the CBI in January 2019.