India, May 15 -- Goa Congress leader Ketan Bhatikar, who was the party's candidate during the recently cancelled Ponda assembly bypoll, died on Thursday night due to a suspected snakebite, police said on Friday.

Bhatikar, 42, was travelling along with friends and the incident took place during a stop that his car made during the journey while travelling through the Western Ghats via the route that crosses in the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.

He was rushed to the primary health centre at Dharbandora via an ambulance, at around 3:30am by which time doctors found him unresponsive and after revival efforts failed, he was declared dead at 3:45am.

Doctors have said that the cause of death will be confirmed after the conduct of a post m...