Bengaluru: Former Gadag and Ron MLA Shrishailappa Bidarur (60) passed away here yesterday following a heart attack.

Bidarur, a former BJP MLA from Gadag, had joined the Congress in 2019 and had come to Bengaluru to attend the KPCC meeting with ticket aspirants at a private resort.

Minutes after the meeting began, Bidarur, who had sought a ticket to contest from Gadag Assembly segment, collapsed following a heart attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital where he passed away, it is learnt.

Bidarur, a two-time MLA, had won from Ron constituency in 1994 on a Janata Dal ticket and from Gadag constituency on a BJP ticket in 2008. He was denied the BJP ticket for the 2018 Assembly polls, following which he joined the Congress a year later.

He is survived by his wife  and two sons. Following Bidarur’s death, the party meeting was put off. The next date of the meeting  will be announced soon, according to sources.