New Delhi, August 24: Arun Jaitley, former Finance Minister and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stalwart, who passed away on Saturday, will be cremated at the Nigam Bodh Ghat in Delhi on Sunday. The 66-yer-old senior BJP leader breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after prolonged illness at 12.07 pm.  Party officials informed that Jaitley's body will reach the BJP office at 10 am on Sunday and thereafter the cremation will take place at the Nigam Bodh Ghat at 2 pm, party sources said. Arun Jaitley Breathes His Last at AIIM at The Age of 66.

Jaitley's body will be taken to his residence in Kailash Colony from the AIIMS later in the day on Saturday. The former Finance Minister was admitted at AIIMS since August 9 and had undergone dialysis on Thursday. The BJP leader was being treated by a multi-disciplinary team of senior doctors.

In a brief statement, the hospital said Jaitley died at 12.07 pm. "It is profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Arun Jaitley, former Finance Minister of Government of India, at 12.07 pm on August 24", the AIIMS said. Earlier this month, hospital sources had earlier said he was on life support.  Arun Jaitley Dies at 66: Former FM Was PM Narendra Modi's Go-To Man Who Had Friends on Both Sides of the Aisle.

Jaitley did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election, because of his ill-health. The senior leader was a lawyer by profession and had been a key member of Modi Cabinet in the BJP government’s first term. He held the finance and defence portfolios, and often acted as the chief troubleshooter of the government. The veteran leader did not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election, because of his ill-health. Take a Look at Arun Jaitley's Political Career.

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Jaitley had undergone a renal transplant on May 14 last year at AIIMS. He had stopped attending office since early April last year, was back in the finance ministry on August 23, 2018. In September 2014, he underwent bariatric surgery to correct the weight he had gained because of a long-standing diabetic condition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2019 03:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).