BHOPAL: Umashankar Gupta, a senior BJP leader, suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized on Monday afternoon. Gupta, who is 71 years old and was denied a ticket in the assembly election, is currently in stable condition.

Digvijaya Singh, a Congress leader, visited him at the hospital. Umashankar Gupta, a former home minister, Bhopal mayor, and three-time MLA from Bhopal South West, had been hoping to contest from the same constituency. However, the BJP chose to field a new face, General Secretary Bhagwandas Sabnani.

A doctor at Anant Shree Hospital revealed that Gupta had a heart attack and underwent an angiography, which identified an issue with an artery. Subsequently, an angioplasty procedure was performed. It is expected that Gupta will be discharged within the next 48 hours.

State BJP Media Cell Chief Ashish Agarwal stated, “Gupta ji had 100% blockage, which was revealed during the check-up. He is now in stable condition.”

Supporters Gather At The Hospital

Following the news of Gupta’s heart attack, many of his supporters gathered at the hospital. They have been expressing their opposition to the ticket being given to Sabnani. On Saturday, they staged noisy protests at the BJP headquarters in Bhopal.

Gupta, who held the revenue and science and technology portfolios from 2013 to 2018, won the Bhopal South West constituency in 2003, 2008, and 2013. However, he lost to Congress’s P.C. Sharma in 2018 by around 6,500 votes. Sharma is once again the Congress candidate for this constituency.

The BJP has fielded several elderly leaders, including Jayant Malaiya (76), Maya Singh (74), Sitasharan Sharma (73), and Nagendra Singh (80). However, they chose not to offer Umashankar Gupta another opportunity.

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