Mumbai, Dec 6 (IANS): Maharashtra leaders cutting across party lines paid homage on Sunday to Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution and the champion of the downtrodden masses, on his 64th death anniversary here.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and a host of other dignitaries visited Chaityabhoomi in Dadar and offered their floral tributes and recalled his teachings and ideals.

Dr Ambedkar was cremated at Chaityabhoomi on December 6, 1956.

Usually, over 3,00,000 followers of Ambedkar from all over India gather at Chaityabhoomi on this day every year, but most preferred to stay home on account of Covid-19 pandemic .

The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation however arranged a live webcast of the events at the memorial, besides full coverage on national and regional television channels for his admirers in India and abroad.

Others who paid homage included Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar, Congress state President Balasaheb Thorat, All India Congress SC/ST Wing chief and Maharashtra Minister Dr Nitin Raut, Union Minister of State for Social Welfare Ramdas Athawale, and Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar.

Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar, Bhai Girkar, MP Lodha, Kalidas Kolambkar and other leaders also visited Chaityabhoomi to offer their respects.

Dr Ambedkar was born in Mhow town of Madhya Pradesh as the 14th and last child of his parents. His father was a Subedar in the British Indian Army.

He was educated first in Satara, later in Mumbai's Elphinstone College, followed by Cambridge University and London School of Economics. Dr Ambedkar also acquired a Barrister-at-Law degree from London.

After returning to India, he was immersed in the country's freedom struggle along with other stalwarts like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and many more. After India's Independence in 1947, Dr Ambedkar became the first Union Law Minister of the newly independent country.

Simultaneously, he championed the human rights for all and the causes of the marginalised, downtrodden, poor and became the torchbearer of Dalit activism by adopting legal, social and political means to get them equal rights in mainstream society.