Former minister Ashok Rao dead

BILASPUR: Senior Congress leader and a former minister in undivided Madhya Pradesh Ashok Rao died here early this morning following brief illness. He was 69.

He is survived by three daughters.

A close associate of veteran Congress leader V C Shukla, Rao was the elder son of late E Raghavendra Rao, first Governor of erstwhile C P and Berar.

Rao was Treasurer of Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee during 1980-87. He was elected the first Mayor of Bilaspur in 1983.

He represented Bilaspur in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly with his election in 1990 and 1993.