NEW DELHI, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- India's former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away on Thursday, said a statement issued by the hospital where he was admitted.

Vajpayee, who belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main ruling party in the country, was 93 years old.

A bachelor throughout his life, he was survived by an adopted daughter.