Two-time Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, 62, from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh was found dead on Wednesday at his official residence in Delhi under mysterious circumstances, police said, adding that they are investigating whether it was a case of suicide.
"He was found hanging inside his room, which was locked from inside. No suicide note has been found," a police official said.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, low profile, soft-spoken Sharma defeated Congress candidate Ashray Sharma, 32, the grandson of former Telecommunications Minister Sukh Ram in his electoral debut.
He was known for his proximity to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and was long associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
He was quite active on Twitter. The last time he tweeted was on March 14.
Reportedly, the leader has been unwell for the past few months.
Police informed that Mr Sharma’s assistant alerted the police control room after there was no response to his call from Swaroop. When the police team arrived at his residence, the door to Mr Sharma’s room was forced open and he was found hanging through the ceiling fan.
A parliamentary meeting of the BJP, scheduled for Wednesday, was cancelled following the death of the MP.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Sharma defeated sitting Congress MP Pratibha Singh -- wife of six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh with a big margin.
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Three days back he got the first dose of vaccination of Covid-19.
Sharma was born at Jalpehar village in Mandi on June 10, 1958.
Mandi is one of the country's largest parliamentary constituencies comprising Kullu, Mandi and some areas of Chamba and Shimla districts, besides the tribal-dominated Assembly seats of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti.