Authorities in India have declared a seven-day mourning period to honor Manmohan Singh as politicians and public paid tributes to the country’s former prime minister widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program.

India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died.

India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, is set to choose a person who is not a member of its dominant Nehru-Gandhi family as its next president as it struggles to recover before key upcoming elections.

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2009 file photo, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan speaks during an interview in London. Bachchan has tested positive for COVID-19 and hospitalised in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)NEW DELHI Amitabh Bachchan has tested positive for the coronavirus and is hospitalized in Mumbai, Indias financial and entertainment capital, the Bollywood superstar announced Saturday on Twitter. Abhishek Bachchan, who is 44, tweeted Saturday night that he also has tested positive for COVID-19 and is hospitalized. On Saturday, Indias coronavirus caseload crossed 800,000 with the biggest spike of 27,114 cases reported in the past 24 hours.