Pramod Mahajan, general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is still in a critical condition, though he is said to be responding to doctors' instructions.
A spokesperson for the hospital said on Sunday evening that the second operation on Mahajan will be conducted on Monday morning, by a team of Hinduja doctors headed by Dr Rela, who has flown in from London on Sunday afternoon.
Mahajan, who was shot at by his brother Pravin on Saturday morning, is in Hinduja hospital in Mumbai and is said to still be on a ventilator.
The spokesperson added that there exists an 'element of risk' in the operation, which will remove the packs from the liver, where Mahajan is still experiencing bleeding. However, 'we have explained this to the family', he said.
Dr Rela is said to have consulted with the team of Hinduja doctors and they have decided to conduct the operation on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, Mahajan was visited by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, accompanied by Bhairon Singh Shekawat, on Sunday evening. Vajpayee, according to BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar, has said that the entire country is praying for Mahajan's speedy recovery.
Earlier, on Sunday afternoon, Mahajan found the strength to smile at his son, Rahul, showing his famous survival instinct that has served him well in his political career.
"When I went to meet him today, he smiled when he saw me. I told him, 'papa, you will be alright' and he nodded as he was unable to speak due to the ventilator. I felt good after that," Rahul, told reporters outside the Hinduja hospital.
Rahul also told the media that his father has also responded to some of his family members and identified them.
Among others who met Mahajan on Sunday morning were BJP leader Jaswant Singh, party president Rajnath Singh, lyricist Javed Akhtar and wife Shabana Azmi.
"There has been some positive development in his health. He is showing minute signs of recovery. However, as the damage which was caused to his body because of the attack is grave, I can't give any more details on this," Singh told reporters.
The bullets shot at Mahajan damaged the right lower part of his chest, liver, head of the pancreas and duodenum and small intestine besides rupturing the Inferior Vena Cava (IVC), the main vein carrying blood to the heart.
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