From Sushma Swaraj to Arun Jaitley- A year of irreparable loss for Indian politics

India was left with an irreparable void in the political fabric of the country with the passing away of great leaders like former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and former finance minister Arun Jaitley.

Here's a look at the ones we lost in 2019.

The country came to a standstill when the news of former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's sudden demise made headlines on August 6, 2019. 

"Iron lady", "affable person" were some of the phrases of praise were used for the 67 year-old Swaraj in her memory by political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Besides her strong personality and her indelible contribution to the growth of the Bharatiya Janata Party and her service to the nation, Swaraj will also be remembered as a soft-spoken person who bore empathy and worked tirelessly. 

The seven time Member of Parliament, Swaraj was the second woman to hold the office after Indira Gandhi and was the youngest cabinet minister of Haryana in 1977. 

Swaraj's loss leaves behind an irreparable void in the political fabric of the country.  
 

Former finance minister and one of tallest leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Arun Jaitley breathed his last on August 24 in Delhi.  

Jaitley has held many portfolios and charges in his tenure as he was a member of the national executive of Bharatiya Janata Party since 1991 and was appointed Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge) in the Vajpayee government and also held the State for Disinvestment (Independent Charge).

Jaitley also took additional charge of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs in the year 2000 and took charge of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs and Shipping in the year 2000 and was chosen as the Leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha in 2009.

Jaitley was a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh and during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first term, he looked after the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. 

He also served as the Minister of Defence, (2014 & 2017) and as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India (2014-2016)
Jaitley's loss leaves behind a dent in the minds and hearts of millions of Indians. 

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit breathed her last on Saturday in the national capital. The Congress veteran served as Delhi's chief minister for 15 years, three consecutive terms, from the year 1998. 

Born in the year 1938, Dikshit was the longest serving chief minister of the national capital. 

Dikshit passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. 

She was credited for national capital's growing infrastructure including roads and flyovers and better public transport system. The concept of CNG to curb pollution was introduced in the national capital by Dikshit during her tenure.
 

Manohar Parrikar, who played a key role in making the BJP a force to reckon with in Goa with regional outfits having pockets of influence, passed away on March 17. 

He was 63 when he died battling pancreatic cancer. 

He became chief minister of Goa for the first time on October 24, 2000, but his tenure lasted only until February 27, 2002. On June 5, 2002, he was re-elected and served another term as chief minister.  

After losing to Digambar Kamat in 2007, Parrikar in 2012 saw a popularity wave in the state when he took his party to the historic number of 21 out of 40 seats in the assembly. He went on to become the chief minister again. 

After the Modi-led Cabinet was sworn at the Centre, Parrikar was offered a ministerial berth in November 2014, he remained in the union cabinet till 2017 when his party failed to garner a majority in the Goa legislative assembly polls.

Former Union Law Minister and veteran lawyer Ram Jethmalani passed away at his residence in Delhi on Sunday morning. 

The 95-year-old served a Union Minister apart from practicing as a lawyer and was appointed Union Law Minister as well as held the portfolio of Urban Development Ministry. 

Later in his career, he was chosen as the chairman of the Bar Council of India and was elected the president of the Supreme Court of India in 2010. 

Jethmalani was appointed as the Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha - once from Rajasthan and from Bihar in the year 2016.

He announced his retirement from the judicial profession in September 2017.