India, Nov. 2 -- Former two-time MLA from Basohli constituency, Jagdish Raj Spolia, passed away at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness at his residence in Kathua district on Sunday evening.Buy Maps

His last rites were performed at Shanti Ghat in Basohli on Monday morning, with a large number of people attending the cremation to pay their final respects.

Spolia is survived by his wife and two sons.

A prominent political figure in the region, Spolia was first elected to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly from Basohli in 1987 on a Congress ticket. He later joined the BJP in 1999 and returned to the Assembly in 2008 after winning the constituency on a BJP ticket.

He subsequently rejoined the Congress and contested the 2014 As...