Saikia had gone to see a doctor about severe backache and was told after tests that he had 90 per cent coronary blockage. He underwent heart surgery at Escorts Hospital but died early on Sunday.

His body was flown to Titabor town in Assam, where the last rites will be performed. He is survived by his wife Ranjana and two sons.

Saikia's acquaintance with Vajpayee went back to the late sixties, when he was a history student at Ramjas College and Vajpayee a friend of his professor. He was selected to the Indian Revenue Service in 1970 and the next year to the IAS. He also had a Masters in Social Administration from London School of Economics and had been a consultant to the United Nations for development projects in Vietnam.