BSP chief Mayawati paid last respects to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj

BSP chief Mayawati this morning paid her last respects to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj at latter's residence in Delhi. Ms Swaraj died on Tuesday evening after a cardiac arrest.

"Sushma Swaraj ji's demise personally saddens me. She was an able politician, administrator and a good orator. Her personality was very friendly, even with members of the opposition. I pray to nature to give her family the strength to cope with this loss," Mayawati said.

Earlier, she had tweeted: "The news of the sudden demise of Mrs Sushma Swaraj, senior BJP leader and former union minister, is very saddening. She was not only a very skilled politician and administrator but also an affable woman. Deepest condolences to his family."

Sushma Swaraj was an able politician, administrator and a good orator

Ms Swaraj was rushed to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) by her family sometime after 9 pm on Tuesday evening when she was taken ill.

She was appointed the foreign minister in the first term of Modi government in 2014.

Sushma Swaraj had not contested the recently held Lok Sabha election and opted out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new government. The 67-year-old, who had a kidney transplant three years ago, had not been keeping well lately.