J P Nadda pays tributes to departed Congress leader Virbhadra Singh in Shimla

BJP president J P Nadda on Friday paid last respects to former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh who passed away on Thursday.

Accompanied by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Nadda laid a wreath on Singh's mortal remains at the Ridge Maidan.

The BJP president reached Shimla in a helicopter from Delhi to pay his last respects to the departed leader.

Earlier on July 5, Nadda had enquired about Singh's health during his visit to the hill state.

The 87-year-old veteran Congress leader breathed his last after prolonged illness at Shimla's Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) at 3.40 am on Thursday.

Read | 'King of Hearts' six-term Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh no more

Singh's body was kept at his residence, Holly Lodge, here for the entire day on Thursday for "antim darshan".

On Friday, the body was kept at Ridge Maidan for the public to pay their last respects from 9 am to 11.30 am.

Then, it will being taken to the state Congress office where it will be kept from 11.40 am to 1 pm.

Thereafter, the body will be taken to Rampur by road at 1 pm and it is scheduled to reach Padam Palace there at 6 pm, a family spokesperson said.

On Saturday, the body will be kept at Padam Palace from 8 am to 2 pm before the funeral, he added.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to pay his last respects to the departed leader at the state Congress office -- Rajiv Bhawan -- the party''s working committee member Rajeev Shukla said.

A delegation of Congress leaders will represent party president Sonia Gandhi at his cremation on Saturday, Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. The delegation will comprise Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and Congress treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal.