Bangalore:Karnataka JD(S) president and former minister Merajuddin Patel died of a heart attack in Gulbarga on Tuesday.
Merajuddin had undergone heart surgery last year, after he collapsed in the legislative assembly complaining of severe heart ache.
The 51-year-old leader was elected for two terms to the state legislative assembly from Humnabad constituency in Bidar district. He had served as minister for municipal administration in the H D Deve Gowda and J H Patel governments. He was the animal husbandry and wakf minister in the Dharam Singh-led coalition government.
Patel failed to make it to the assembly in the recent elections.
A staunch follower of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Patel was appointed state JD(S) president after H D Kumaraswamy became chief minister with BJP support.
Patel was requested by Gowda to continue as the state party chief, after he stepped down owning moral responsibility for the partys dismal performance in the recent assembly polls.
Patel is survived by wife and seven daughters. The final rites would be performed at Humnabad on Wednesday.
