Oommen Chandy dies at 79: 7 things to know about former Kerala CM

Veteran Congress leader and two-time Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy passed away early morning on Tuesday in a Bengaluru hospital. His son, Chandy Oommenn, broke the news in a Facebook post where he said, “Appa has passed away.”

Oommen Chandy was a towering figure in the politics of the coastal state with a career spanning over five decades. His death has triggered a wave of mourning in the Congress, with party president Mallikarjun Kharge hailing the 79-year-old as a visionary leader. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled Chandy's passing away through a tweet.

പൊതുസേവനത്തിനായി ജീവിതം ഉഴിഞ്ഞുവെക്കുകയും കേരളത്തിന്റെ പുരോഗതിക്കായി പ്രവർത്തിക്കുകയും ചെയ്ത എളിമയും, അർപ്പണബോധമുള്ള നേതാവിനെയാണ് ശ്രീ ഉമ്മൻ ചാണ്ടി ജിയുടെ വിയോഗത്തിലൂടെ നമുക്ക് നഷ്ടമായത്. ഞങ്ങൾ രണ്ടുപേരും അതത് സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിലെ മുഖ്യമന്ത്രിമാരായി സേവനമനുഷ്ഠിച്ചപ്പോഴും പിന്നീട് ഞാൻ… pic.twitter.com/EorQ5L2c5x

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 18, 2023

The demise of Chandy has led to the Left-led Kerala government announcing a two day state mourning and a public holiday for Tuesday.

Here are the seven major points you should know about the Kerala politics stalwart.

1) Oommen Chandy was a two-time Kerala Chief Minister. His first tenure began in 2004 and lasted till the 2006 Kerala assembly elections which the Congress lost. He then was appointed the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly till the 2011 elections which the Congress-led coalition won. Chandy then governed as the Chief Minister for the full term of five years till 2016.

Also Read | RIP Oommen Chandy: Mortal remains of former Kerala CM brought to his residence as people gather to pay respects

2) Chandy has the record of being the longest-serving MLA in the Kerala assembly. Since he first won the Puthuppally assembly constituency in 1970, no one had been able to win it from him in these 53 years. He won 12 consecutive elections from the seat and in August last year achieved the record for being the longest serving legislator in the assembly of the coastal state.

3) He also held important portfolios as a minister in the state assembly four times. He was the Minister of Labour (April 11, 1977-April 25, 1977 and April 27, 1977 – October 27 (1978), Home (December 28, 1981-March 17, 1982), and Finance (July 2, 1991 – June 22, 1994) in governments headed by K Karunakaran and A K Antony.

4) In 2013, Chandy received the prestigious United Nations Award for Public Service. He received the award for his mass contact programme in the state as CM.

5) Born in 1943, Chandy ventured into politics in his student days. He joined the Kerala Students Union, the student wing of Congress in Kerala, and in 1967 rose up to the post of president in the organisation. In 1970, he became the president of the state Youth Congress. In the same year, he was elected in the Kerala Assembly from the Puthuppally seat, which was considered a bastion of the Left at that point.

6) Under his chief ministership, an alleged solar scam took place in 2013 and Chandy himself was accused of sexual exploitation by the prime accused in the case. He was given a clean chit in the case by CBI last year.

7) Chandy, who was 79 at the time of his death, had not been keeping well for some time. Ailing from throat cancer, he was staying in Bengaluru since November last year.