Mysore/Mysuru: The sudden passing away of KPCC Working President and former Chamarajanagar MP R. Dhruvanarayan this morning came as a shock to his colleagues, party functionaries and large supporters. People and political party leaders cutting across party lines paid their last respects at the hospital where he was rushed to and at his home.

He leaves behind his wife Veena and sons Darshan, an advocate in Bengaluru and Dheeran. The last rites will be performed on Mar. 12 (tomorrow) at 2 pm in Heggavadi village in Chamarajanagar where his father was laid to rest.

Apart from being the sitting KPCC Working President, Dhruvanarayan was a two-time Chamarajanagar MP and two-time MLA — Santhemarahalli (SC reserve) Constituency-2004 and Kollegal-2008. He served as the MP in 2009 and 2014.

Dhruvanarayan, who was a resident of Vijayanagar Third Stage in the city, had called Dr. B. Sadananda, head of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, on KRS Road, Mysuru at about 6.10 am to complain about chest pain, requesting the latter to check his condition.

Soon, Dhruvanarayan started bleeding from his nose and mouth, forcing his wife Veena to rush out of the house and shout for help. Industrialists Manjunath and Satish, in the neighbourhood, responded to the desperate calls and rushed to see Dhruvanarayan collapsing on the bed by that time.

Immediately, Manjunath and Satish rushed Dhruvanarayan in the former’s (Manjunath’s) car to DRM Hospital at V. V. Mohalla. By that time, Sadananda also came to DRM Hospital and upon checking on the condition of Dhruvanarayan, he declared him brought dead.

Shocked over the sudden demise of Dhruvanarayan, a stream of Congress leaders and MLAs like Varuna MLA Dr. Yathindra Siddharamaiah, H.D. Kote MLA Anil Chikkamadu, Hunsur MLA H. P. Manjunath, former MLAs M.K. Somashekar and Vasu, Chamaraja BJP MLA L. Nagendra Mysuru District Congress Rural Committee President Dr. B.J. Vijayakumar among several others rushed to the hospital.

Hunsur MLA Manjunath and Anil Chikkamadu were inconsolable. It was Dhruvanarayan who shaped their political careers. H.D. Kote-ST Reserve Assembly segment falls under the Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha Constituency. Even Dr. B.J. Vijayakumar and former MLA Dr. Geetha Mahadevaprasad were unable to control their tears.

The mortal remains of Dhruvanarayan were later taken to his Vijayanagar house in an ambulance, with Dr. Yathindra Siddharamaiah and other Congress leaders travelling along in the ambulance.

A pall of gloom descended on the home, as Dhruvanarayan’s wife Veena and younger son Dheeran became inconsolable. Dheeran, who broke down while performing the rituals, was helped by relatives.

The arrangements were made in the portico of the house to enable relatives and a large number of party workers to pay their last respects. All roads led to his house as a large number of party workers and followers thronged the house.

According to sources close to the family, the body of Dhruvanarayan will be taken out in a procession from his house to Indira Congress Bhavan in the afternoon where it will be kept for people to pay their last respects.

Later the body will be taken out in a procession to the Congress office in Chamarajanagar before shifting to his native Heggavadi. The last rites will be performed at Heggavadi on Mar. 12 (tomorrow at 2 pm, which is expected to be attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) President M. Mallikarjun Kharge, KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar, Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Siddharamaiah and a host of party leaders.