New Delhi: Steering the country towards development while being a three-time Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee died today. The announcement of his death was made by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences or AIIMS, where the 93 year old was under treatment by an expert team of doctors for nine weeks.

The government at the centre has announced a seven-day mourning period throughout India and state funeral for the former prime minister. Several Governments in Delhi, Uttarkhand and Punjab have announced a holiday on Friday as a mark of respect to the leader, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mr. Vajpayee was regarded as the tallest leader in BJP circles and was admitted to hospital on June 11 for treatment of a urinary tract infection and chest congestion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the hospital twice within 24 hours and top politicians from various parties arrived as the former prime minister’s health worsened on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated over the last 36 hours and he was put on life support systems. Despite the best of efforts, we have lost him today,” the statement by AIIMS said.

The time of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s death was 5.05 pm.

“He lived for the nation and served it assiduously for decades,” PM Modi tweeted soon after, describing his death the end of an era.

A meeting has been convened for the Union Cabinet to mourn on the occasion of former prime minister’s death.

Commenting over his death, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said India had lost a “great son” l”oved and respected by millions”.

The patriarch of the BJP had announced his retirement from electoral politics during a public meeting in Mumbai back in 2005. The announcement was not at all a surprise to many people as he was in ill health.

Since 2009, the politician was mostly at home on Krishna Menon Marg in the city of Delhi staying away from public life due to his failing heatlh.

The leader was considered as the gold standard in the BJP leadership and had got admirers even among rival parties irrespective of national or regional ones. His birthday is December 25 and is celebrated as Good Governance Day.

Since morning, the leader was visited by several BJP leaders like party chief Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Venkaiah Naidu and many others.

At the headquarters of the BJP in Delhi, decorations put up for the celebration of Independence Day on Wednesday were uninstalled as the news reached.

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