Arvind Giri, 65, the BJP MLA from Gola Gokarannath assembly constituency in Lakhimpur district, died of a heart attack on Monday night. He succumbed near Sidhauli in Sitapur while being brought to a Lucknow hospital. He was a five-term MLA of UP Assembly.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday condoled the death of the BJP MLA. “The demise of BJP MLA from Gola assembly constituency of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Arvind Giri ji, is unfortunate. My condolences are with the bereaved families. May Lord Shri Ram grant the departed soul a place at his feet and strength to the bereaved family members to bear this unfathomable loss. Om Shanti,” he said. Samajwadi Party chief and Leader of Opposition in UP Assembly Akhilesh Yadav also condoled the death of the BJP MLA.

Giri made his debut in politics as a student leader in 1993 and joined the Samajwadi Party in 1994. He was elected as the chairman of Gola Gokarannath Nagar Palika In 1995 after winning the election with a record number of votes. He was later elected as an MLA for the first time in 1996 on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Between 1998 and 1999, he also served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee.

In 2000, Giri was again elected as the chief of Gola Nagar Palika. He was later elected as an MLA in 2002 and then 2007 from Haiderabad seat, that was later renamed Gola Gokarannath after delimitation, on the Samajwadi Party’s ticket.

During the Samajwadi Party’s government in the state in 2005, Giri was elected as the District Panchayat president. In 2012, he had contested the legislative assembly election on a Congress ticket, but lost. Later, he joined the BJP and won the elections in 2017 and 2022.