Former Union Minister Arun Jaitley passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Saturday. He was 66 years old. Jaitley had undergone surgeries to treat his cancer, and had been admitted to the ICU on August 9.

Former finance minister Arun Jaitley's mortal remains will be cremated at Delhi's Nigam Bodh Ghat tomorrow, said BJP working President J P Nadda on Saturday.

"From AIIMS Arun Jaitley's mortal remains will be taken to his residence in Kailash colony. His body will be kept there till 10 am tomorrow and from there it will be taken to the BJP headquarters for party workers and the public to pay their last respects. His final journey will begin from BJP headquarters to the Nigambodh Ghat, where last rites will be performed," Nadda told reporters here.

He, however, added that the timing for the cremation of Jaitley's mortal remains is yet to be decided.

Jaitley's demise comes a few weeks after the death of his long-time colleague, former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on August 6. Both Jaitley and Swaraj had opted out of contesting the 2019 Lok Sabha election or joining the new Narendra Modi Cabinet citing poor health.

He is survived by his wife Sangeeta Jaitley, to whom he has been married since 1982, and two children - Sonali Jaitley Bakshi and Rohan Jaitley, both lawyers.

Jaitley was front and centre as one of the key faces of the Narendra Modi government in the first term. He was one of the handful of leaders who would be tasked with enunciating the government's position on high-visibility issues. During this government, he has at different points held key ministries ranging from Finance, Corporate Affairs, Defence and Information & Broadcasting.

Jaitley - along with other senior leaders like Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu and Ravi Shankar Prasad - was seen as a part of the core team of the Narendra Modi government between 2014 and 2019.

He was also part of the Union Cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee during the 2004-09 NDA government, first as an MoS (Independent Charge) for I&B and Disinvestment, and took addition charge of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs, before being elevated to a full Cabinet rank.

He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha from 2009 to 2014, and Leader of the House from 2014 to 2019.

Jaitley had been a member of the BJP's national executive since 1990 and served as a party spokesperson till 1999.

Arun Jaitley was born in Delhi in 1952, and went to St Xavier's School. He went on to earn a degree in commerce from Delhi University's Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) in 1973 and an LLB degree from the same varsity's Faculty of Law in 1977. A member of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) he became the president of the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) in 1974.

Jaitley belongs to a crop of BJP leaders who were active in student politics in the years before the Emergency. He was a prominent student member aligned with the JP Movement led by Jayaprakash Narain. He was among those who had been detained during the period, spending 19 months in detention, first at Ambala Jail and then at Delhi's Tihar Jail.

After he was released, Jaitley was a member of the Loktantric Yuva Morcha during the 1977 elections, in which Indira Gandhi's Congress was wiped out across North India.

Jaitley began his legal practice after earning his law degree in 1977. He was designated a senior advocate by the Delhi High Court in 1990. He practiced at the Supreme Court and a number of High Courts across the country.

He was appointed an Additional Solicitor General by the VP Singh government in 1989 and was part of the team assisting the investigation into the Bofors scandal. He also represented India at the United Nations General Assembly Session in 1998, which passed the Declaration on Laws Relating to Drugs and Money Laundering.

He has at different times represented big multinationals such as Pepsi and Coca Cola. He gave up his active legal career when he became the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha in 2009.

Jaitley was actively involved in cricket administration and has been associated with the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) for decades. He was also appointed the vice president of the north zone by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, a post he held till 2013.