Former Punjab BJP chief Kamal Sharma cremated

Former Punjab BJP president Kamal Sharma was cremated in the presence of several political leaders here on Monday.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar besides Union ministers Som Prakash and Dharmendra Pradhan attended the funeral.

Sharma's son Sushmit lit the pyre amidst chants of "Kamal Sharma amar rahe".

The 49-year-old former state BJP chief had gone for a walk when he collapsed and died of cardiac arrest on Mall Road in the cantonment area here on Sunday morning.

He was taken to a local private hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Sharma had suffered a heart attack two years ago, following which he was admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, for treatment.

Sharma was considered close to the late BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who was his mentor and guide.

Sharma is survived by his wife Shashi, son Sushmit and daughter Shupra.

The former state BJP chief had come to Ferozepur to celebrate Diwali with his family and friends. He had posted Diwali greetings on his Facebook and other social media handles just a few hours before his death.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh expressed shock over his sudden demise.

In a tweet, the PM said Sharma had made noteworthy efforts to strengthen the party in Punjab.

State BJP chief Shwet Malik, former Jammu and Kashmir deputy CM Nirmal Singh, former Union minister Vijay Sampla, senior BJP leaders Avinash Rai Khanna, Tarun Chugh, Rajendra Bhandari, Manoranjan Kalia, Tikshan Sud, Anil Joshi, Ashwani Sharma, Ashwani Kalia, Surjit Jiyani and Rakesh Rathore were present during the cremation.

Senior Akali leader Dr D S Cheema, along with other party leaders, was also present.