"68-year-old Bhardwaj died of cardiac arrest early this morning at a hospital in Bilaspur town," state Congress spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi told PTI.
His final rites were performed at his native place Kharoda village in Janjgir-Champa district this evening, he added.
Bhardwaj represented Sarangarh Lok Sabha Constituency in undivided Madhya Pradesh for six times in a row from 1980, Trivedi said.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has expressed heartfelt condolence on Bhardwaj's demise, an official statement here said.
In his condolence message, Singh said Bhardwaj had maintained healthy relation with the public of his area, owing to which he was elected as MP for six times.
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Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Congress also expressed its profound grief on the demise of the veteran leader.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh also expressed grief over his death.
Singh termed Bhardwaj's demise as his personal loss and prayed to god to give strength to the family to bear the loss.
Bhardwaj was the state party president in undivided Madhya Pradesh when Digvijay Singh was the Chief Minister of the state.