Raja Venkatappa Naik, Surapur's Congress MLA aged 66, passed away on February 25. Naik, who had been unwell, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital where he breathed his last on Sunday afternoon. A statement from Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru confirmed his passing at approximately 1.50 pm.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge expressed their condolences over the demise of their party colleague. Naik, a four-time MLA, was recently appointed as the Chairman of Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah visited the hospital to pay his respects to the departed leader.
Siddaramaiah said, "I met him three days ago and enquired about his health. The passing away of Raja Venkatappa Naik, a popular personality among the people, is an irreparable loss both personally and to state politics. I pray that may the departed soul rests in peace and his family and fans find strength to bear the pain,” he said.
Naik became the Shorapur MLA in May 2023 following the Congress party's victory in the state Assembly elections. He had also emerged victorious in the elections held in 1994, 1999, and 2013. In the 1994 elections, Naik contested from the Karnataka Congress Party (KCP) against Shivanna Mangihal of the Janata Dal.