Wednesday, May 3 2006 18:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A pall of gloom descended on the 11, Ashok Road headquarters of BJP here today (May 3, 2006) as the news about party General Secretary Pramod Mahajan's death broke.

The saffron and green flag of the party bearing the lotus symbol was lowered as all party leaders made a beeline to the party office in the heart of the capital.

A photograph of Mahajan was immediately placed in the main hall of the building where the 56-year-old former Union Minister had addressed numerous news conferences and attended several meetings.

Tears welled up in the eyes of party leaders, workers and even mediapersons as floral tributes were paid to the late leader who succumbed to bullet injuries at a Mumbai hospital.

Led by the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, prominent leaders who paid homage to Mahajan included Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan, party leaders O P Kohli, Kedarnath Sahni, Kishan Singh Sangwan, Sumitra Mahajan, former NCM chairman Tarlochan Singh, former Delhi Speaker Charti Lal Goel, J P Mathur and Pawan Sharma.

Announcing Mahajan's death, Malhotra described the demise as an irreparable loss to the party and recalled how he managed to keep the NDA coalition going.

Party vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, while on his way to Mumbai, described Mahajan as the 21st-century architect of the BJP.

Most of the BJP leaders, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, are expected to leave for Mumbai to attend the funeral.