Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and actress Sonali Phogat - who rose to fame as a TikTok personality and from a stint on popular reality show Bigg Boss - died late Monday after suffering a heart attack in Goa. Phogat had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 assembly election in Haryana - against the Congress' Kuldeep Bishnoi, who recently switched to the BJP. There was speculation Phogat would contest the Adampur bypoll - the same seat she lost to Bishnoi and which was left vacant after the ex-Congress leader crossed the aisle.
Tributes have poured in from the political fraternity for Sonali Phogat. Many have expressed shock, including Bishnoi and the BJP's OP Dhankar.
Here are some reactions:
"I am deeply saddened by the news of Sonali Phogat ji's sudden demise. She was very friendly and a great artist. May the Supreme Father, the Supreme Soul, give them a place at His feet and give the family the strength to bear this unbearable pain. Om Shanti," Bishnoi wrote.
He had met Phogat in Hisar just a few days ago.
"#Shocking! A good politician of our party, #BiggBoss14 contestant and actress #SonaliPhogat died following a heart attack last night in Goa. My condolences to her family and friends," the BJP's Ashish Sood said.
{{/usCountry}}"#Shocking! A good politician of our party, #BiggBoss14 contestant and actress #SonaliPhogat died following a heart attack last night in Goa. My condolences to her family and friends," the BJP's Ashish Sood said.
{{/usCountry}}“Artist and BJP worker, who was the candidate of 2019 from Adampur region, I am shocked to hear the sad news of the demise of Mrs. Sonali Phogat ji. Talking to Goa BJP President Shri @ShetSadanand ji to request for the cooperation of the family members,” said Haryana bBJP chief OP Dhankar.
Expressing grief, the BJP's Hisar district chief, Bhupendra Singh said, "Sonali ji was in Goa. I spoke to her assistant and he said that she died of a heart attack."
"The sudden demise of BJP leader Smt Sonali Phogat ji due to heart attack in Goa is very sad. May God give the departed soul a place at his feet and give the bereaved family the ability to bear this immense sorrow. Om shanti!" said BJP leader Vipul Goel.
"Haryana BJP leader Sonali Phogat passes away We pray to Lord Shri Ram to give the divine soul a place at his feet and give the family the strength to bear this sorrow," tweeted Delhi BJP spokesperson Ajay Sherawat.
Sonali Phogat is survived by her parents, a brother, and a daughter named Yashodhara Phogat. Her body has been sent to the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at Bambolim for postmortem, police said, adding that the report will reveal the exact cause of the death.