Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away

New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee breath his last on Thursday i.e. on August 16. He was 93.

Vajpayee had been admitted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here for the last nine weeks. Unfortunately, his condition worsened over the last 24 hours and finally he passed away on Thursday evening.

Earlier, as news of deterioration of his health spread, national leaders, including Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, BJP brass -- party President Amit Shah, veterans L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, cabinet ministers, chief ministers and opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee visited the hospital during the day.

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His body will be taken to Vajpayee's house on Krishna Menon Marg in Lutyen's Delhi for the public to pay last respects to the departed leader.

The former Prime Minister, whose birthday on December 25 is celebrated as Good Governance Day, was honoured with the Bharat Ratna in 2014 at his home.

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Vajpayee, a diabetic patient, was undergoing treatment at AIIMS since June 11. He was admitted to the hospital for what doctors described as a routine check-up.

The 1924-born leader was under the supervision of Dr Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and currently the Director of AIIMS. Guleria has served as personal physician to Vajpayee for over three decades.