Chennai, August 28: Senior Congress leader and businessman H Vasanthakumar died at a private hospital in Chennai on Friday. The 70-year-old was admitted a few days ago at a medical facility based in the Tamil Nadu capital, after he tested positive for COVID-19. His condition severely deteriorated earlier today, leading to the demise.

Vasanthakumar was the working president of the Congress' Tamil Nadu unit. In the 2019 general elections, he was elected from the parliamentary seat of Kanyakumari. The party issued a statement to condole his death. Uttar Pradesh: COVID-19 Patient Jumps Off From Sixth Floor of Medical College in Moradabad, Dies.

"Deeply saddened at the untimely demise of a born fighter, resolute Congressman, M.P and Working President of TNCC - Sh. H. Vasanthakumar. All of us, along with lakhs of his supporters, will always miss him deeply. Heartfelt condolences to family & well wishers. RIP. (sic)," tweeted Congress' national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala.

See Surjewala's Tweet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed sorrow over the death of Vasanthakumar. "Saddened by demise of Lok Sabha MP H. Vasanthakumar Ji. His strides in business and social service efforts were noteworthy. During my interactions with him, I always saw his passion towards Tamil Nadu’s progress. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," he tweeted.

Vasanthakumar was admitted to the hospital on August 10, after the test results showed him positive for coronavirus. Over the past couple of days, he was kept on ventilator support.

Vasanthakumar's demise comes as a major jolt to the Congress. He was considered to have played a key role in improving the party's prospects in the state in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, after an absolute rout in 2014. Before being elected as a Member of Parliament, he had served as two-time MLA from the Nanguneri constituency.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2020 07:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).