Celal Ayrancı, a candidate for nomination in the upcoming general elections, has been found dead in his Ankara hotel room late on Tuesday.

The death of the 35-year-old businessman, who hails from the eastern province of Bingöl, came shortly after political parties revealed their final list of candidates on Tuesday. Ayrancı, running for a seat in the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), was not listed as a candidate in his constituency Bingöl. It is not known whether his death was related to his exclusion from the candidacy.

Cevdet Yılmaz, Minister of Development, talked to police after he visited the hotel where Yılmaz was found with a gunshot wound in his head, inflicted by his own licensed gun. Yılmaz, hailing from the same city as Ayrancı, told reporters he was a valuable member and they were shocked.

On the question of whether the suicide was linked to Ayrancı's exclusion, Yılmaz said the police were still investigating the incident and they were not certain yet as to his motive.