New Delhi, Nov 25 (PTI) BJP leaders on Wednesday condoled the death of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, a powerful presence in national politics for a long time, with party president J P Nadda expressing his anguish and many of his colleagues lauding Patel's contribution to the public life.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Patel contributed a lot to the public life and the Congress, describing the news of the leader's death as extremely painful.

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In a tweet, Nadda said, "Deeply anguished to hear about the demise of veteran Congress leader Shri Ahmed Patel Ji. I pray for strength to the family members and his supporters at this hour of grief. Om Shanti."

Senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh noted that Patel was a seasoned leader who made remarkable contribution to his party and public life.

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"Ahmed Bhai had friends across party lines. My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this sad hour," he said.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar also expressed his sadness at Patel's demise.

Ahmed Patel (71) died in a Gurgaon hospital on Wednesday due to multi-organ failure. He was suffering from complications related to COVID-19.

Patel, who was critical for a few days, was admitted to the Medanta hospital on November 15 after he developed complications.

His son Faisal said he died at 3.30 am.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)