Comrade Krishan Dev Sethi, the last surviving member of J&K constituent Assembly, passed away at his Dalpatian Jammu residence this morning. He was 93.
Sethi died after prolonged illness at his home 4 AM today, said a family source, adding that the last rites of the popular communist leader will take place at 1 PM in Jogi Gate, Jammu.
His political career started before 1947 when he was merely 15-years-old. He was the last surviving constituent assembly member of erstwhile J&K. He was elected to the constituent assembly and later he also won first assembly elections.
He worked with Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah as first General Secretary of the National Conference from Jammu. Later, he parted ways from the National Conference and formed Democratic National Conference of which he became General Secretary, and Ghulam Mohammed Sadiq, Mir Qasim, and DP Dhar also joined him.
Sethi represented Nowshera assembly constituency twice as MLA i.e., as member of constituent assembly and later again he was elected from this constituency during first assembly elections of erstwhile J&K state.
He was also jailed several times for two years during the Quit. Sethi, who was born and brought in Mirpur in Pakistan-administered-Kashmir, migrated along with his family to Jammu and settled at Dalpatian Mohallah following the Partition.