Thiruvananthapuram: One of the most well-known politicians of Kerala and two-time Chief Minister of Congress, Oommen Chandy, passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday. Chandy was 79 years old. He was suffering from throat cancer.
In his honor, the Kerala government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday and the state government has also declared two days of mourning.
He holds the record of being the longest-serving MLA in the state in the history of Kerala Legislative Assembly. He won his first election in 1970 from his home constituency Puthupalli in Kottayam district.
He was the MLA from Puthupalli when he passed away and remained so for 53 consecutive years.
According to his close family members, his mortal remains will be brought from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday itself and the last rites will be held at his hometown in Puthupalli on Wednesday.
Condoling Chandy’s death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said both of them had entered the Kerala Assembly for the first time in 1970.
Vijayan said, “We started our political journey together through student politics and continued for a very long time. Chandy was always with the people and it is difficult to say goodbye to him.”
