Mangaluru : Senior Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Tourism and Religious Endowment minister K. Amarnath Shetty passed away at the A.J. Hospital and Research Institute here on Monday.

Mr. Shetty, 80, had been admitted to the hospital a fortnight ago. He leaves behind his wife and two daughters.

Mr. Shetty, who joined the Janata Party in 1977, was a legislator from the Moodbidri Assembly Constituency for three terms in 1983, 1987 and 1994. He was Minister for Labour and also held Muzarai and Agriculture portfolios. For a brief time, he was with Ramakrishna Hegde’s Navanirmana Vedike before joining the Janata Dal (Secular).

Mr. Shetty was actively involved in the activities of the JD (S) and recently attended the meeting held by organisations opposed to the Citizenship Amendment Act. He was also associated with the Alva Education Foundation in holding of the annual literary fest Alva’s Nudisiri in Moodbidri.

JD(S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda, his son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and other leaders are likely to take part in the last rites.