Hyderabad, Aug 31 (PTI):Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan andChief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday expressed their condolences over the demise of former president Pranab Mukherjee.

"Former president Bharat Ratna Shri #PranabMukherjee demise is a great loss to the Nation. He held our NATION AND IT'S TRADITION always high in his long political & public career.

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I share the grief and convey my condolences.

Om shanthi," the Governor tweeted.

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Expressing deep shock over Pranab Mukherjees demise, Rao said the political stalwart had a special affinity with the Telangana issue.

He said that Pranab Mukherjee, who headed the Committee on the separate Telangana State issue, formed by the then UPA government, had the distinction of signing the formation of the Telangana State Bill.

Pranab Mukherjee, 84, died at an army hospital in New Delhi on Monday.

He was admitted to the hospital on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in his brain.

He later developed lung infection and was on ventilator support.

Rao said it was unfortunate that the best efforts put in by doctors for the past several weeks to save the life of the ailing former President did not succeed, according to a release from the Chief Minister's Office .

Expressing his grief and also of the people of Telangana, KCR, as Rao is also referred to, said Pranab Mukherjees death has left a void in the countrys political arena, which cannot be filled.

The Chief Minister also conveyed his condolences to members of the bereaved family.

"The former President used to say that there was justice in the demand for Telangana statehood and he used to offer several useful suggestions to me.

Pranab Mukherjee bestowed special praise on me, saying that very few leaders have the rare opportunity of seeing the movement launched by them reaching its goal and he said I am privileged to have that rare opportunity and greatness," the release quoted Rao as saying.

Referring to Mukherjee's book 'The Coalition Years', the Chief Minister recalled that the Telangana statehood issue was also mentioned in it.

Telangana BJP unit President and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy also condoled Pranab Mukherjees death.

"Pranab Mukherjee, who served as President from July 25, 2012 to July 25, 2017, played a crucial role during the historical occasion when Telangana State was formed.

The first initiative for it was taken with the committee constituted in 2004, chaired by Pranab Mukherjee," Sanjay Kumar said in a condolence message.

The Telangana BJP chief said Mukherjee was popularly known as a Congress leader who has plenty of nationalist tendencies.

"Interestingly, he is only the Congress leader who participated in the meeting of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh.

In a series of tweets, Uttam Kumar said : Pained at the demise of Bharat Ratna Shri Pranab Mukherjee.

Pranab da served as a Leader of both houses & as a union minister of defence, finance& foreign affairs before his outstanding stint as President.

My condolences to @Sharmistha_GK & @ABHIJIT_LS during this hour of grief.

In another tweet, the Telangana Congress president said: A multi-faceted personality & one of the foremost intellectuals of the country, Pranab Da has contributed immensely to nation-building.

In his passing away, India has lost its bright & beloved son of the soil."

(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)