Oommen Chandy, a senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, passed away in Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday, according to his family. Chandy's son announced his father's demise in a Facebook post, stating, "Appa has passed away." The family did not provide further details regarding the cause of death.
The 79-year-old leader had been undergoing treatment at a health facility in Bengaluru for an extended period as he had been unwell. Oommen Chandy had served as the Chief Minister of Kerala on two separate occasions.
The veteran Congress leader had been receiving treatment at a health facility in Bengaluru for an extended period due to his prolonged illness. Over the past year, Chandy sought medical care at Berlin's Charite Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram's NIMS Medicity, and Bengaluru's Health Care Global Enterprises.
"We mourn the loss of former Kerala CM and Congress stalwart Shri Oommen Chandy. He was a champion of development, democracy and secularism," Kerala Congress tweeted expressing grief after the demise of the leader.
Oommen Chandy enjoyed a political career spanning over five decades, reaching a significant milestone in 2022 when he became the longest-serving member of the Kerala Assembly. Representing his home constituency of Puthupally, he served in the House for an impressive 18,728 days.
Chandy held the position of Kerala Chief Minister twice, from 2004 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2016. He embarked on his political journey by winning the state assembly elections in 1970 at the age of 27 and went on to secure victory in 11 consecutive polls. Throughout his career, Chandy exclusively represented his home constituency of Puthupally.
In addition to his tenure as Chief Minister, Chandy served as a minister four times in various cabinets and held the position of Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly on four separate occasions.