Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Joshi died on Sunday after suffering from a prolonged illness, PTI reported. He was 90.

“He breathed his last at the Bansal Hospital here [Bhopal],” said former Madhya Pradesh minister Deepak Joshi.

The former chief minister’s final rites will be performed on Monday at his native town Hatpipalya in Dewas district of the state, said former BJP MP Alok Sanjar.

Joshi is survived by three sons and three daughters. His wife died a few months, according to the news agency.

The BJP leader served as the chief minister of the state between 1977 and 1978, and was described as the “saint of politics”. He has represented the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency from 2004 to 2014, and the Bagli Assembly constituency between 1962 and 1998, according to The Indian Express.

Joshi was also a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2000 and 2004.