Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Bharatiya Janata Party state spokesman Narendra Saluja passed away due to cardiac arrest in the city on Wednesday. He was 52.
Saluja was attending a wedding at a resort in Sehore for the last two days. On Wednesday morning, after breakfast, he complained of chest pain but dismissed it as a minor gas issue.
He decided to skip an afternoon programme at a local Gurudwara and returned to Indore. However, his condition worsened upon reaching home and he fainted. He was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Known for his sharp political acumen and balanced commentary, Saluja had been a prominent media face in both BJP and Congress. Once a close aide of former chief minister Kamal Nath, Saluja switched to the BJP in November 2022 following an internal fallout after a controversy during Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrations at Khalsa College in Indore.
Saluja was reportedly sidelined by the Congress leadership after the incident, which eventually led him to join the BJP in a high-profile event at the Chief Minister’s residence, where Shivraj Singh Chouhan welcomed him into the party.
Since then, Saluja emerged as a key voice of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, particularly active on social media, where his witty, incisive tweets often made headlines.
Just hours before his demise, Saluja had posted greetings for Akshaya Tritiya and shared a photograph with BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya to wish him a happy birthday.
Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav expressed his deep sorrow over Saluja's death, calling him a “dedicated and soft-spoken leader” whose contribution to the party will always be remembered.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also paid tribute, describing Saluja as a “lively personality full of energy” and “a master of sharp political satire.”
Third spokesmen death in last three years
Saluja becomes third spokesman to have died of heart attack in last three years. Earlier to him Umesh Sharma and Govind Malu too had left for heavenly adobe due to heart failure.
While Sharma had passed away on September, 2022, the seasoned BJP leader Malu died of cardiac arrest on May 8, 2024.
