The mortal remains of senior Congress leader Murli Deora, who breathed his last earlier this morning, have been taken to the party office in Mumbai for last respects.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and several other political leaders have condoled the demise of the Congress veteran.
The 77-year-old Congress leader was suffering from cancer. He breathed his last at 3.25 a.m. in Mumbai.
He is survived by his wife and two sons.
As per reports, the funeral will be held at Girgaum's Chandanwadi Crematorium at 4 p.m.
Deora held several important positions during his decades-long political career. During the UPA-1 regime, Deora was the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. The Congress veteran had also served as the Mumbai Congress president for 22 years.
In 2006, he joined the Union Cabinet and led India's oil diplomacy in Myanmar, Algeria and Egypt, and held talks with ministers from Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia and Comoros.
Deora also hosted the first India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference and Exhibition in November 2007.
He became Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology in July 2011.
