A close aide of a common man and sitting Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MLA from Nagrota Assembly constituency Devender Singh Rana, who passed away late Thursday night in a Faridabad hospital after a brief illness, was cremated with full state honors in Jammu on Friday. He was 59 and is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

Rana's elder brother and MoS PMO Dr Jitendera Singh, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and people from different walks of life also attended the last rites. 

His supporters were left shell-shocked to hear the news of his sudden demise. Rana, who took oath as an MLA on October 21, was often described as the 'voice of Jammu'. He was last seen in public on October 24, the day he visited the residence of Shashi Abrol to offer his condolences. Abrol was killed in the terror attack on construction workers in Sonamarg on October 20. Condoling his death Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a post on X said, "He (Rana) was a veteran leader, who worked diligently towards Jammu and Kashmir's progress. He had just won the assembly polls and had also played a noteworthy role in making the BJP stronger in Jammu and Kashmir."

"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with his family and supporters. Om Shanti," he added.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over Rana's untimely passing.

"Devendra ji, who was always dedicated to the peace and development of Jammu and Kashmir and the interests of the people, made an invaluable contribution to the progress of the region. His demise is an irreparable loss for the BJP family. I express my condolences to his family and supporters," he said.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah along with his cabinet colleagues also arrived here from Srinagar to bid farewell to his former political advisor.

Before visiting his residence in Jammu

Omar Abdullah posted an emotional message on his X handle, saying, "The terrible news from late last night isn't really sinking in. I know the last few years have been marked by our differences, Devender, but I prefer to focus on the fun times we shared together, the excellent work we did together and the memories.""You have been taken from us all too soon and will be missed. May your soul rest in peace now, DSR. My heart goes out to your family as I struggle to find the words to convey my condolences to them," he said.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also expressed shock at Rana's sudden passing.

"We had a great relationship with him and his father before him. Omar liked him a lot. He (Rana) held a big position in our party in Jammu and had made the party stronger," he told reporters in Srinagar.

Rana, who spent a major part of his political career in the National Conference, joined BJP in October 2021. He won the recent Assembly polls by the highest margin of over 30,000 votes. Rana's family members, including his daughters, the BJP's Jammu and Kashmir chief Ravinder Raina, MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, and MLA Pawan Gupta carried his body on their shoulders for his final journey amid chants of "Rana sahib amar rahi (Long live Rana saheb)".

"Rana's death is an irreparable loss to Jammu and Kashmir and the BJP. He was a political stalwart whose influence reached beyond party and religious lines," Raina said.

The Congress's Jammu and Kashmir unit chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma also expressed his condolences.

"This is very unfortunate. Despite ideological differences, he maintained a friendly relationship with everyone," he said.

A civil engineer by training, Rana graduated from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Kurukshetra, and ventured into business, founding the Jamkash Vehicleades group, which became a leading automobile company in Jammu and Kashmir. Rana's political career began at a young age when he joined the National Conference. He quickly rose to prominence as a key strategist, serving as the provincial president and political advisor to Omar Abdullah. Rana was also a vocal advocate for the Jammu Declaration, which sought the restoration of statehood for the Jammu region following the August 2019 abrogation of Article 370.