Senior SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary suffers cardiac arrest, hospitalised

Lucknow: Senior Samajwadi Party leader and the party's chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary suffered a cardiac arrest on Friday and was admitted to the Civil Hospital in Lucknow, officials said.

Chaudhary, a former minister hailing from western Uttar Pradesh, has been one of the prominent faces of the party since the days of late Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav arrived at the hospital soon after receiving information about Chaudhary's condition.


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Other senior party leaders also visited the hospital.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who oversees the state's health department, visited the Civil Hospital to enquire about Chaudhary's health.

Speaking to reporters after the visit, Pathak said Chaudhary's condition has been stabilised, and a team of senior doctors is monitoring him.

"He suffered a cardiac arrest and was brought to the Civil Hospital. His condition is being stabilised, and senior doctors are attending to him," Pathak said.

He said cardiology specialists from Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences have been consulted, and expert doctors from the institute were called to the Civil Hospital to supervise the treatment.

The deputy chief minister said Chaudhary would be shifted to the Lohia Institute for specialised treatment once his condition is stable enough for transfer.

Pathak also came face-to-face with Akhilesh Yadav at the hospital.

The two leaders, who frequently trade political barbs, exchanged courtesies in a sombre atmosphere.

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According to visuals from the hospital, Yadav expressed concern over Chaudhary's health, while Pathak assured him that the veteran Samajwadi Party leader was receiving the best possible treatment and that every effort was being made for his recovery.