VS Achuthanandan, Former Chief Minister Of Kerala, Dies At 101

Veteran CPM leader and former Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan died on Monday, after a long hospitalization. The 101-year-old was admitted to a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on June 23 after he suffered a suspected cardiac arrest at home. He had been in the intensive care unit on ventilator support.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM state secretary MV Govindan have rushed to the hospital to meet the family and speak to the attending doctors. A steady stream of political leaders are already making a beeline for the hospital to pay their respects.

The veteran leader had been staying alternately with his son or daughter in Thiruvananthapuram since he quit as the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee in January 2021.

A towering figure in Kerala's political landscape, Achutanandan's populist stance and uncompromising image won him admiration across party lines.

Achuthanandan had been the Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2006, when he had spearheaded the attack on the UDF government led by AK Antony. In 2006, he had led the CPM-led Left Democratic Front to victory and served as Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011. 

In 2011, he crafted the LDF campaign and leading from the front, came close to securing a second term, but the Oommen Chandy-led UDF managed a narrow win, securing 72 seats in the 140-member Assembly.
 

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