"Raja Venkatappa Nayaka was committed Congress leader": Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar condoles death of Surapur MLA

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 25 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday condoled the death of Congress legislator Raja Venkatappa Naik whom he said was the committed leader of the party.
"I met him two days back in the hospital. He was getting stable. But afternoon, he had his last breath. He is a great friend of us. He was a committed Congress leader," Shivakumar told reporters here.
Raja Venkatappa Naik (66) who was the sitting MLA of the Surapur constituency was admitted to a private hospital where he passed away on Sunday afternoon.
Many Congress leaders including Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge have condoled the death of their party colleague.
Siddaramaiah remembered Nayaka as his "long-time political comrade".
"Deeply saddened to hear of the demise of my long-time political comrade Raja Venkatappa Nayaka. I met him three days ago and inquired about his health. The passing away of Raja Venkatappa Nayaka, a philanthropic personality, is an irreparable loss both personally and to state politics. I pray that the departed soul may rest in peace and that his family and fans find the strength to bear the pain," Siddaramaiah wrote on X.
Nayak won in 1994, 1999 and 2013. In 1994, Nayak contested elections from the Karnataka Congress Party (KCP) against Shivanna Mangihal of Janata Dal.