Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh were among hundreds who bid a tearful adieu to veteran political leader Devender Singh Rana on Friday as his last rites were held here.

Rana, a sitting BJP MLA and a prominent voice for Jammu region’s Dogra community, passed away on Thursday at a hospital in Faridabad after a prolonged illness. He was 59 and had a wide circle of friends across the country.

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Omar Abdullah arrived here from Srinagar to pay tribute to his longtime friend, Rana. He first visited Rana’s home and then attended the last rites at the Shastri Nagar cremation ground. Deputy CM Surinder Chaudhary accompanied Omar.

Rana is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

Cutting across party lines, political leaders expressed condolences on his passing. Rana was the younger brother of Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

Rana was a committed leader and a pillar of the National Conference for decades before he joined the BJP in 2021. He won the recent Assembly election from the Nagrota seat on a BJP ticket with the highest margin of votes in J&K. Earlier, in 2014, he won the same seat as a National Conference candidate. He also served as a political adviser with the status of a minister to then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Expressing grief on his death, Prime Minister Narendra wrote on X; “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.”

Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on X, “Devender Rana ji, who was always dedicated to the peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir and the interests of the people, made an invaluable contribution to the progress of the region. His demise is an irreparable loss to the BJP family.”

BJP President and Health Minister JP Nadda said, “His dedication to public service and contributions towards the development of the people of Jammu and Kashmir will be remembered. His departure is an irreparable loss to the party”.

Grieving the death of his younger brother Rana, Dr. Jitendra Singh wrote on X, “Untimely demise of my brother Sh Devender Singh Rana is a deep personal loss, which is not only irreparable but painful and the void created will continue to haunt me for the rest of my life. I sincerely thank all those standing by me and the family in these testing times.”

Former Governor NN Vohra also mourned the death of Rana and described him as “a highly intelligent person and an exceptionally rare example of a gentleman-politician. In his sad departure, the J&K polity and the Jammu region have lost a very popular and effective leader”.

Lt Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha said; “In his passing away, we have lost a patriotic & widely respected leader, who was committed to the well-being of the people of J&K”.

Although Rana’s departure from the National Conference came as a shock for the Abdullahs, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah shared a heartfelt tribute to his late friend. Omar wrote on X, alongside three pictures with Rana, “The terrible news from late last night isn’t really sinking in. I know the last few years have been marked by our differences Devender but I prefer to focus on the fun times we shared together, the excellent work we did together & the memories. You have been taken from us all too soon & will be missed. May your soul rest in peace now DSR. My heart goes out to your family as I struggle to find the words to convey my condolences to them”.

Former CM and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti was among those who mourned Rana’s death.