Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli condole demise of Sushma Swaraj; see tweets

New Delhi: Former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Virat Kohli condoled the demise of former External Affairs Minister and veteran BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who passed away following a cardiac arrest on Tuesday night.

"Deeply saddened to hear about the passing away of Sushma Swaraj Ji. May her soul rest in peace. She was an icon of women empowerment and the one who cared for citizens from all corners of the world," Sachin Tendulkar tweeted.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli also took to Twitter and paid tribute, "Deeply saddened by the news of Sushma Ji's demise, may her soul rest in peace."

Leaving a strong legacy behind, the BJP stalwart breathed her last at the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the national capital.

The body of Swaraj, who passed away following a cardiac arrest on Tuesday night, was brought to the BJP headquarters in Rouse Avenue from her house, a few km away, in an ambulance with BJP workers chanting 'Jab tak sooraj chand rahega, Sushma tera naam rahega'.

The body would be kept there for people to pay homage and will be later cremated at the Lodhi Road crematorium.

Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, and Hima Das also paid tribute to Swaraj.

"My deepest condolences & prayers to the Iron Lady of India. #RIPSushmaSwaraj Ji," Shikhar Dhawan tweeted.

"RIP #SushmaSwaraj ji !! Your contribution will stay on and be remembered for a long time," Indian spinner R Ashwin tweeted.

Rishabh Pant tweeted, "A strong leader but above all a good human being. Sushmaji will always be remembered for her contribution and service to the nation. #RIPSushmaJi."

"Really saddened to hear about the sudden demise of our former External Affairs Minister Smt Sushma Swaraj mam. #RIPSushmaJi," Hima Das wrote on Twitter.

Earlier today, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJPworking president JP Nadda among others paid tribute to Swaraj at her residence.

Prime Minister Modi and BJP veteran L K Advani turned emotional as they paid their last respects to the departed leader.

Swaraj was the BJP's most prominent woman face.

According to sources at AIIMS, the 67-year-old felt restless at 9 pm on Tuesday and was brought to the hospital at around 9:30 pm in an ambulance. She was declared dead at 10:50 pm.

Swaraj was foreign minister in the first term of Modi government. She opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.