Former Gujarat governor, veteran BJP leader OP Kohli passes away at 87

New Delhi: Former Gujarat governor and veteran BJP leader from Delhi O P Kohli passed away on Monday, according to a Delhi BJP statement.

Kohli, a former president of the party's Delhi unit, was unwell for the past two to three months and he passed away at a hospital in Noida. He was 87 years old, BJP leaders said.

His last rites will be performed at the Nigam Bodh Ghat on Tuesday, they said.

Kohli was a dedicated worker of the party under whose guidance thousands of leaders and workers were groomed over the years, said Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva.

Kohli started his political life as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and worked with the ABVP, the Delhi University Students Union and the Delhi University Teachers Association in various capacities, Sachdeva said.

In January 1991, Kohli entered the political arena and took over as the president of the Delhi BJP. He held the post for three terms and represented Delhi in Rajya Sabha.  As a member of the BJP's national executive, he handled the organisational charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.

Kholi served as governor of Gujarat from 2014 to 2019, said the Delhi BJP in a statement.