Vajpayee's funeral to take place at Smriti Sthal tomorrow

As the country mourns the death of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Central Government has announced a seven-day state mourning throughout the country. The tri-colour will be flown at half-mast during the time.

BJP President Amit Shah addressed reporters, saying, "At 9 am tomorrow his mortal remains will be taken to BJP headquarters and at 1 pm his last journey will begin. Funeral will be held at 4 pm at Smriti Sthal."

The BJP veteran's body will be kept at his residence in New Delhi tonight. The body will then be taken to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters at 11, Ashoka Road. Vajpayee's funeral procession will take place at Smriti Sthal at 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon.

Terming Vajpayee's loss an irreparable one, Shah further said, "He was multifaceted. The nation has lost a tall leader, BJP lost its first National President, crores of youth lost their inspiration. It is impossible to fill that void".

The state governments have also decided to pay a rich tribute to the party stalwart and poet-politician. The Uttar Pradesh government has declared a public holiday on Friday. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has also called for a seven-day mourning and a public holiday. Similarly, the Jharkhand Government has declared a seven-day mourning in memory of Vajpayee. Other states like Bihar and Haryana have also declared a public holiday.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had been admitted to the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi for the past few weeks, died on Thursday. He was 93.