Jammu, Nov 1 (Reporter) Thousands of people on Friday gathered here to pay their last respects to senior leader and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Devender Singh Rana, who passed away after a prolonged illness at a hospital in Haryana. His cremation took place here this evening at Shastri Nagar Cremation Ground. On Friday afternoon, Rana’s mortal remains were brought to his home in Gandhi Nagar, where thousands, including top party leaders and his brother, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, paid tribute. The mortal remains were later carried in a flower-adorned vehicle in a procession to the cremation ground. Chants “Devender Singh Rana Amar Rahe,” filled the air as the crowd surged to honor him during his final farewell. The last rites were performed by his son in an emotionally charged atmosphere, with politicians from across the spectrum in attendance. Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary visited Rana’s residence to offer condolences. Deputy Chief Minister Choudhary expressed grief over Rana’s death, saying, “J&K has lost a big leader, especially a strong voice for Jammu.” Omar Abdullah left after paying his respects without speaking to the media. A sea of people, including Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, UT Cabinet Ministers Javed Ahmed Rana and Satish Sharma, BJP MP Jugal Kishore Sharma, J&K BJP President Ravinder Raina, Additional Director General of Police Anand Jain, elected MLAs, former MLAs, religious leaders, and various members of civil society followed the procession from Gandhi Nagar to the cremation ground. Former National Conference (NC) leader, Devender Singh Rana joined the BJP in 2021 after a long association with the NC, where he served as a provincial President and political advisor to then-Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Born in Malhiri, Doda district, in 1965, Rana earned a civil engineering degree from the Regional Engineering College (now NIT) Kurukshetra in 1986. Rana became active in politics in 2000, serving as Omar Abdullah's media advisor in 2001, and later joined the Legislative Council until 2018. He won the Assembly seat from Nagrota in 2014, representing Jammu’s interests, and was a vocal advocate for a public holiday on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary. In 2021, he initiated the "Jammu Declaration", aiming to promote Jammu’s political narrative. Apart from politics, Rana was a successful entrepreneur. Rana is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son...////...