Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy dies at 79; 'difficult to bid farewell', says Pinarayi Vijayan

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy, died in Bengaluru in the early hours of Tuesday (July 18), his family said. He was 79.

Chandy’s son Chandy Oommen, made the announcement in a Facebook post in the morning.

“Appa has passed away”, Oommen wrote on his Facebook page, without elaborating.

Chandy, a two-time chief minister, who had not been keeping well for quite some time, had been staying in Bengaluru for treatment at a health facility.

Condolences poured in for the Congress veteran with both colleagues and political rivals expressing grief over his demise.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan spoke about sharing a long political career with Chandy.

“We were elected to the Legislative Assembly in the same year. It was at the same stage that we came to the political fore through student life. We led public life at the same time and it is extremely difficult to bid him farewell. Oommen Chandy was a capable administrator and a person who was closely involved in people’s lives,” Vijayan said.

“The tale of the king who triumphed over the world with the power of ‘love’ finds its poignant end,” tweeted Kerala Congress president K Sudhakaran, adding that Chandy touched the “lives of countless individuals, and his legacy will forever resonate within our souls.”

(With inputs from agencies)