People from across the country travelled overnight, queued up to see Atal Bihari Vajpayee one last time
Hundreds of people queued up this morning outside the residence of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Delhi, to pay their last respects to the departed leader.
Heavy security arrangements, including deployment of police, traffic and paramilitary personnel, were in place around the 6-A, Krishna Menon Marg bungalow in the central Delhi.
According to security officials present outside Mr Vajpayee's house, the gates of the residence were thrown open at 7:30 am for the public to pay homage to Mr Vajpayee.
His body would later be taken to the Bharatiya Janata Party's national headquarters at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg.
The final journey to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, near Rajghat would begin around 1 pm.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee died at Delhi's AIIMS hospital yesterday at the age of 93, following a prolonged illness.
52-year-old Yogesh Kumar arrived in Delhi with a group of people from Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. The group covered a distance of around 500-km overnight in the hope to have one last glimpse of their beloved leader.
"I had met Vajpayee ji in 1984 when he had visited Uttarkashi en route to Gangotri. He visited the town once again in 1986," Mr Kumar said, as he displayed a picture of Mr Vajpayee with him.
"I have also brought along the Gangajal from Gangotri," he said, hoping to find an opportunity to see him.
Another man, in his early 20s, said he had come all the way from Bihar to pay homage to the former prime minister.
"I believe we have lost a great leader in him," he said.