(Image source from: www.mumbailive.com)
Bharatiya Janata Party founder and three-time Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Thursday.
Vajpayee, 93, was on life support system at the country's premier health institute where he was undergoing treatment for the last nine weeks.
The AIIMS authorities broke the news of his death on Thursday at 5:05 p.m.
Vajpayee, a diabetes patient, was admitted to AIIMS on June 11 for what doctors had delineated as a routine check-up. He was being treated for a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion.
His condition had worsened on Wednesday. "Unfortunately, Atal Bihari Vajpayee's condition has worsened over the last 24 hours. His condition is critical and he is on life support system," AIIMS said in the last statement issued late on Wednesday.
Vajpayee had only one functional kidney. In 2009, he had suffered a stroke, which weakened his cognitive abilities. Subsequently, he developed dementia.
The BJP stalwart was under the supervision of a pulmonologist Dr. Randeep Guleria, who is presently the Director of AIIMS.
The hospital was flooded with politicians cutting across party lines.
Among those who visited the BJP stalwart at the hospital on Thursday were Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, BJP chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Raj Nath Singh, senior BJP leader LK Advani, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Uma Bharti, and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited AIIMS to enquire about Vajpayee's health and reportedly spent 15 minutes with Vajpayee.
By Sowmya Sangam
