Several political personalities gathered at Rabindra Sadan in Calcutta on Friday to pay their last respects to former West Bengal Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee, who died after suffering a massive cardiac arrest at a state-run hospital. Senior Trinamool Congress leaders Firhad Hakim and Arup Biswas, the Congress' Abdul Mannan and Pradip Bhattacharya, as well as Dilip Ghosh and Rahul Sinha of the BJP, paid tributes to the former Kolkata mayor.

CPI(M) state secretary Surya Kanta Mishra and party spokesperson Sujan Chakraborty also paid their last respects to Mukherjee, who passed away at SSKM Hospital around 9.22 pm on Thursday evening. "I have grown up seeing Subratada. He was my childhood hero. There were numerous instances when I approached him for advice and he always guided me. I have lost my big brother," Hakim told news agency PTI.

Dilip Ghosh, vice-president of the BJP, said, "His contribution to Bengal politics will never be forgotten. He was the 'Bhishma Pitamah' of Bengal politics. This is a big loss for all of us."

Apart from politicians, thousands of admirers and supporters of the veteran politician assembled at Rabindra Sadan, too, to pay homage to their beloved leader. In another moving tribute, actor-politician Moonmoo Sen, a long-time friend of the former mayor, was seen caressing Mukherjee's forehead, as she bid goodbye to her co-worker. Sen co-starred in Mukherjee's debut TV serial Chowdhury Pharmaceuticals.

In his condolence message, industrialist Sanjiv Goenka said, "In Subrata Mukherjee, we have lost a very good and a very capable leader. At a personal level, I had known him for over 35 years. It's a very deep personal loss." Mukherjee, 75, who was hospitalised on October 24 following breathing problems, underwent angioplasty and two stents were inserted inside his blocked arteries on November 1.

"Subratada's body will first be taken to the state assembly and then to his residence in Ballygunge, followed by a visit to his club and finally to Keoratola crematorium for the last rites," a TMC leader said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said Mukherjee's demise was a personal loss for her.

"I have faced many disasters in my life but this is a very big blow. I do not think there will be another man like Subratada who was such a nice and hard-working person. The party and his constituency (Ballygunge) were his soul. I will not be able to see Subratada's body," she had told reporters at the hospital on Thursday.