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NEW DELHI. – Three-time Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee died yesterday, sparking tributes from across the political spectrum as current leader Narendra Modi mourned the “irreplaceable loss” of the respected statesman.

The 93-year-old had battled poor health for years but his condition deteriorated sharply in recent days, with doctors placing him on life support.

The sudden turn sparked a flurry of visits from top dignitaries, including premier Narendra Modi, who credited Vajpayee with laying the foundations for the meteoric rise of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which rules India today.

“Atal Ji’s passing away is a personal and irreplaceable loss for me,” Modi said in a tweet yesterday, using a Hindi-language honorific.

“It was Atal Ji’s exemplary leadership that set the foundations for a strong, prosperous and inclusive India in the 21st century. It was due to the perseverance and struggles of Atal Ji that the BJP was built brick by brick.”

Vajpayee was being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, where he was admitted nine weeks ago.

“Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated over the last 36 hours and he was put on life support systems. Despite the best efforts, we have lost him today,” AIIMS said in a statement.

“We join the nation in deeply mourning this great loss.”

His body was being transferred yesterday evening to his Delhi residence. Vajpayee will be cremated Friday in the Indian capital with full state honours, BJP chief Amit Shah said.

The former journalist and poet-turned-politician was one of the few opposition lawmakers inside parliament when India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, still held office.

His more than five-decade-long career peaked in the 1990s, when his masterful oratory attracted tens of thousands of people to his rallies across the country.

He also became the first non-Congress leader since India’s independence in 1947 to complete an entire term in office as head of a BJP-led ruling alliance between March 1998 and May 2004.

Vajpayee’s often conciliatory tone, and poetic jibes directed at opponents, were popular on both sides of the political divide.

He was ousted in 2004 elections by the Congress Party, which selected Manmohan Singh as prime minister. – AFP.