Former PM AB Vajpayee, 93, passes away at AIIMS, Delhi

After battling for life and remaining on advanced life support at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for past two days, former prime minister and BJP patriarch Atal Bihari Vajpayee today breathed his last. There was no improvement in his condition since Wednesday evening since his health deteriorated.
 
A number of leaders, including Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and Congress president Rahul Gandhi, visited AIIMS Thursday morning to inquire about the health of the 93-year-old leader. The others who visited the hospital also included Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and BJP president Amit Shah, as well as National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today visited the hospital to take stock of the situation and inquire about Vajpayee's condition. The PM had also visited AIIMS yesterday night around 7.15 pm and spent about 50 minutes there.
 
The former prime minister was earlier admitted to AIIMS on June 11 with a kidney tract infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion. Last night, the hospital reportedly stated that Vajpayee's condition had worsened and he was on life-support systems. 
 
A team of doctors from various departments including nephrology, gastroenterology and cardiology took care of Vajpayee. A health bulletin from the hospital earlier stated that "condition continues to be the same. He is critical and on life-support system". 
 
A diabetic, Vajpayee, who has only one functional kidney, suffered a stroke in 2009 that reportedly weakened his cognitive abilities, and he later developed dementia. 
 
Vajpayee remained under the supervision of Randeep Guleria, a pulmonologist and currently the Director of AIIMS. Guleria has served as personal physician to the three-time Prime Minister for over three decades.
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According to reports, some relatives of the poet PM, who remained bachelor, have also come to Delhi from Gwalior. The 1924-born 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.