VARANASI, Jan. 8 -- Samajwadi Party (SP) veteran and eight-time MLA Vijay Singh Gond, who represented the Duddhi Assembly constituency in Sonbhadra district, died on Thursday at a Lucknow hospital. He was 71.

Gond was undergoing treatment for kidney-related issues at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) in Lucknow.

He had won the Duddhi seat in the 2024 bypoll as the SP candidate. The by-election was held after the then MLA Ramdular Gond was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment in a case related to the alleged rape of a minor.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav visited SGPGIMS and paid his respects. He met family members and consoled them.

"Vijay Singh Gond was unwell for a long time and was under treatment i...