Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Pandurang Pundalik Fundkar died after suffering a cardiac arrest on Thursday at Mumbai’s Somaiya Hospital, PTI reported. He was 67.

Fundkar was the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra unit between 1991 and 1996. He represented Akola parliamentary constituency three times. He was elected to the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha from Khamgaon in 1978 and 1980. He was also the leader of the Opposition in the legislative council.

Fundkar, a legislator from Buldhana, was sworn in as Cabinet minister on July 8, 2016.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences on the Maharashtra minister’s death. “He made an invaluable contribution towards building the BJP in Maharashtra,” Modi said on Twitter. “He was also at the forefront of serving the farmers of the state. My thoughts are with his family and supporters.”