Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and his predecessors B S Yediyurapa and Siddaramaiah condoled the passing away of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, who died in a Gurugram hospital after prolonged illness on Monday.
"A true son of the soil, he was a leader of the masses", Bommai said and noted that he comes from the political lineage of socialist leaders such as Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narain, and was also jailed during the Emergency in the 1970s.
BJP stalwart Yediyurappa said his demise is a loss to the national polity, while Congress leader Siddaramaiah said Yadav was one of the "strong forces in our country's fight against communal politics".
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar and BJP state chief Nalin Kumar Kateel also expressed sorrow over the death of the three-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.