Former union minister and Indian Union Muslim league leader E Ahmed passed away early on Wednesday. The 78-year-old Ahamed died at 2.15 am at RML hospital where he was admitted on Tuesday and put on artificial life support.

 "E Ahamed has passed away at 2.15 am. His body has been taken to AIIMS hospital for embalming (a method to preserve a corpse from decaying) as the facility is not available at RML," a senior RML doctor told PTI.

Ahamed's body will be taken to Kerala later on Wednesday. The MP from Kerala's Mallapuram suffered a cardiac arrest during the President's address to the joint sitting of Parliament on Tuesday.

Ahamed, 78, had served as Minister of State for External Affairs in the UPA government and was a Lok Sabha member from Malappuram in Kerala since 1991.