Thiruvananthapuram, July 21: Veteran Communist leader and former Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan passed away on Monday afternoon at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He was 101.

Achuthanandan had been battling for his life for over a month after suffering a cardiac arrest at his son’s residence in the state capital on June 23. Since then, he had been on ventilator support in the intensive care unit.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, along with CPI(M) state secretary M.V. Govindan, rushed to the hospital to meet Achuthanandan’s family and speak with the attending doctors. Following their visit, a steady stream of political leaders began arriving at the hospital to pay their respects.

A special medical board comprising experts from the Medical College had been overseeing his treatment in coordination with hospital staff. He was also undergoing dialysis, which was temporarily suspended during the course of his illness.

Achuthanandan’s son-in-law, a doctor, had administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at home before the veteran leader was taken to the hospital last month.

Since stepping down as Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission in January 2021, Achuthanandan had been living alternately with his son and daughter in Thiruvananthapuram. His own residence in Alappuzha, which he had built during his long political career, remained closed.

Achuthanandan was a towering figure in Kerala’s political landscape. As Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2006, he relentlessly attacked the then A.K. Antony-led UDF government. His populist stance and uncompromising image won him admiration across party lines, especially from apolitical and first-time voters.

He led the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) to victory in the 2006 Assembly elections and served as Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011. In 2011, he once again spearheaded the LDF campaign and came within touching distance of securing a second term, but the Oommen Chandy-led UDF managed a narrow win, securing 72 seats in the 140-member Assembly.

Achuthanandan's passing marks the end of an era in Kerala politics -- one defined by fierce ideological battles, grassroots activism, and an unwavering commitment to public life. (IANS)

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