This also contributed to our remarkable victory in the Lok Sabha elections 2009,' it said.

In the April-May Lok Sabha elections, the Congress had won 33 of the 42 seats from the state, while in 2004 it had 29 seats. In 1999, the party had just five seats.

'He was a man of vision, courage and dynamism. He was a man of the people. He connected with and inspired people from all walks of life but particularly the poor, the underprivileged and the disadvantaged,' the CWC said.

'His untimely passing is a tremendous loss to the party, the state and the country,' it added.

Sharing pain and anguish with his family, the CWC conveyed its deepest condolences to its members.

The CWC also expressed its 'deep-felt' condolences to the families of the chief minister's special secretary P. Subrahmanyam, Group Captain S.K. Bhatia, co-pilot Reddy and chief security officer A.C.S. Wesley, who were travelling with him when the chopper crashed.