Bengaluru, November 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Bengaluru today, on Monday morning, to pay his respects to Ananth Kumar, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who passed away on early Monday morning, around 1.30 am in the night. Kumar was suffering from pancreatic cancer and was not keeping well since the last few months. The Karnataka Government has declared a one day holiday for all educational institutions in the state as a mark of respect towards the departed leader. Union Minister Ananth Kumar Passes Away at the Age of 59, PM Modi Condoles His Death.

"Ananth Kumar Ji was an able administrator, who handled many ministerial portfolios and was a great asset to the BJP organisation. He worked hard to strengthen the Party in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. He was always accessible to his constituents," tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the tragic news.

The Prime Minister also said that he spoke to the family of the late leader and tweeted:

President Ram Nath Kovind said in his condolence message that "Sad to hear of the passing of Union Minister and veteran parliamentarian Shri H.N. Ananth Kumar. This is a tragic loss to public life in our country and particularly for the people of Karnataka. My condolences to his family, colleagues and countless associates."

Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted "I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Union Minister, Shri Ananth Kumar ji, in Bengaluru, earlier this morning. My condolences to his family & friends. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti."

Ananth Kumar, who was born on 22th July, 1959, was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Since 1996 he had represented the Bengaluru South constituency in the Lok Sabha. Kumar was in charge of two key ministries - serving as Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers since May 2014 and as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs since July 2016 in the Narendra Modi government until his death on November 12th, 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2018 08:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).