Beni Prasad Verma is survived by three sons and two daughters
Former Union Minister and Samajwadi Party founding member Beni Prasad Verma died in Lucknow on Friday. He was 79.
The Rajya Sabha member was unwell for past few days and was admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow, where he died around 7 pm, his son Rakesh Verma told PTI.
Mr Verma was the telecom minister between 1996-1998 in former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's cabinet and was the steel minister in the Congress-led UPA-II government.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav reached the hospital and condoled his death.
Beni Prasad Verma is survived by three sons and two daughters.
The former Union minister's association with SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav spans over four decades.
In the 2007 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Mr Verma had floated his own political party, which failed to register any win.
In 2009, Mr Verma formally joined the Congress and contested the Lok Sabha election from Gonda seat, but lost.
The Kurmi leader quit the Congress and in 2016 rejoined the Samajwadi Party, which sent him to the Rajya Sabha.
UP Governor Anandi Ben Patel and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav condoled the leader's death.