NEW DELHI (AFP) -- The founder of the political party representing so-called untouchables in India's society, Kanshi Ram, died early Monday at the age of 72, local media reported.

Ram, who suffered numerous illnesses including diabetes and hypertension, died of an apparent heart attack at his New Delhi home where he had been bedridden for more than a year.

The current head of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Mayawati, was with him when he died, the Press Trust of India reported.

Ram founded the BSP whose aim was to represent the lower groups in India's now defunct caste system including Sudras and Dalits or untouchables.

His party rose to prominence after gaining power in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. The BSP gained popularity and strength in other northern states to become an influential political group at the national level.