New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed shock at the death of BJP MLA and veteran Jammu and Kashmir leader Devender Singh Rana.

PM Modi said on X, "Shri Devender Singh Rana Ji's untimely demise is shocking. He was a veteran leader, who worked diligently towards Jammu and Kashmir's progress. He had just won the Assembly polls and had also played a noteworthy role in making the BJP stronger in J-K.

"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with his family and supporters. Om Shanti." Rana (59), Union Minister Jitendra Singh's brother, was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Haryana's Faridabad, where he passed away.

Rana was a stalwart leader of the Jammu region and leading face of the National Conference, especially in the Jammu region, for decades before he joined the BJP in 2021.

He won the recent assembly polls from the Nagrota constituency with the highest margin in Jammu and Kashmir.