LUCKNOW: Veteran Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma passed away after prolonged illness on Friday evening. He was admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow where he died. He was 79.

A founder member of SP, Beni had parted ways with SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2009 to join the Congress. He returned to SP in 2016 and was presently a sitting MP in Rajya Sabha .

Beni had a short stint as minister for communications in PM Deve Gowda ’s cabinet from 1996-98.

