Former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy dies aged 79

He was known for his humility and leading a simple life

Former chief minister of India’s southern Kerala state, Oommen Chandy, died on Tuesday. Getty

Oommen Chandy, former chief minister of India’s southern Kerala state and veteran Congress leader, died on Tuesday morning. He was 79.

Mr Chandy was undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital in Bengaluru city in neighbouring Karnataka state, media reports said.

As a mark of respect, the state government announced two days of mourning and Tuesday as a public holiday.

“We have lost a humble and dedicated leader who devoted his life to public service and worked towards the progress of Kerala,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Several other politicians remembered him as a “stalwart”, “visionary” and “tall leader”.

Mr Chandy had joined politics as a student activist with the Kerala Students Union, the student wing of the Indian National Congress in the 1960s before he made the plunge into mainstream politics in 1967.

He was elected as the president of the State Youth Congress in 1970 and later elected as the state legislator for five decades, from 1970 to 2021.

He had created a record after serving as a legislator from Puthuppally constituency for more than half a century.

He served as Kerala’s Chief Minister twice for a total of seven years, from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He also served as Minister of Labour, Home and as the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.

In 2013, Mr Chandy received the UN Public Service Award for the Asia-Pacific region for the category "Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service".

He was known for his humility and preference of a simple life. He would travel by bus or train, at times in the sleeper class, while serving as the chief minister.

“You won't find a CM like this. With people. Anytime. Every time. People's Leader,” Twitter-user Sabreena Usman said.