NEW DELHI: Senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi at about 3 pm after being on respiratory support for the past few days. He was 72 and is survived by his wife Seema Chishti Yechury and two children.

He was serving his third term as CPI(M) General Secretary, a post to which he was elected in 2015. The CPI(M) made the announcement in a post on X: "It is with profound grief that we announce the passing away of CPI(M) General Secretary, our beloved Comrade Sitaram Yechury, at 3:03 pm today, 12th September, at the AIIMS, New Delhi." The party further added, "We thank the doctors, nursing staff, and the Director of the Institute for the excellent treatment and care extended to Comrade Yechury."

Yechury was admitted to the hospital on August 19 with "pneumonia-like" symptoms, and despite being placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and monitored by a team of doctors, his condition worsened in recent days. The family of the CPI(M) leader has donated his body to AIIMS in New Delhi for teaching and research purposes, following his death earlier today.

In one of his last video messages from the hospital room, Mr. Yechury paid tribute to former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on August 22. In an emotional farewell message to the former CM, who had passed away a few days earlier, Mr. Yechury said, "It's most unfortunate that I had to connect from AIIMS to convey my feelings, emotions, and revolutionary Lal Salaam to Buddho Da."

Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum for Mr. Yechury, a two-term Rajya Sabha MP who had friends across the aisle. The CPI(M) Polit Bureau, in a statement, said that his untimely demise at "this crucial juncture in our national politics is a big blow for the CPI(M) and a grievous loss for the Left, democratic, and secular forces."

Expressing condolences on Yechury’s death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was a leading light of the Left and was known for his ability to connect across the political spectrum.

“Saddened by the passing away of Shri Sitaram Yechury Ji. He was a leading light of the Left and was known for his ability to connect across the political spectrum. He also made a mark as an effective Parliamentarian. My thoughts are with his family and admirers in this sad hour. Om Shanti,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Born on August 12, 1952, in Chennai to Kakinada natives Sarveswara and Kalpakam Yechury, Sitaram obtained his primary education in Hyderabad before moving to Delhi in 1969 due to the Telangana movement spreading across undivided Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Delhi University during his graduation and completed his post-graduation at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

He started his public life by joining student politics in 1974 when he joined the Left's student chapter, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI). He became a member of CPI(M) in 1975, rose alongside fellow comrade Prakash Karat, and was elected to the party Politburo in 1992. He became the fifth General Secretary of CPI(M) at the party's 21st Congress in Visakhapatnam on April 19, 2015.