NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh successfully underwent heart bypass surgery yesterday, doctors said, adding that he would be fit to campaign for upcoming elections.
The 76-year-old Singh, who has held office since 2004, has been expected to run as the Congress party's candidate for prime minister in elections to be held before May.
Singh will be able to fully recover and resume his duties in six weeks, said Dr K Srinath Reddy, one of the team of 11 surgeons and doctors involved in the medical procedure.
"There won't be any restrictions on his campaigning," said Dr A Sampath Kumar, another doctor on the team, adding that Singh chose to have the surgery at this time to make sure that he was fit in time for the elections.
Also running as candidates for Singh's party are star campaigners Sonia Gandhi, chief of the Congress party, and her son Rahul Gandhi, both of whom represent the party in parliament.
The procedure, which lasted nearly 11 hours, began yesterday morning, said Reddy, adding that the prime minister was conscious and stable and being monitored in the hospital's intensive care unit.
Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee will take charge of the finance ministry, which was looked after by Singh and will chair any meetings of India's cabinet while the prime minister recovers from surgery
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