The Kerala government has declared a public holiday on Tuesday as a mark of respect to former Chief Minister of Kerala and veteran Congress leader Oommen Chandy who passed away in Bengaluru. All government offices and educational institutions including professional colleges will remain shut on Tuesday. The state will also observe two days of mourning. The Congress leader, who was unwell since 2019, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was taken to Germany in November last year after his cancer aggravated.
He was the chief minister twice for a total of seven years (2004–2006 and again from 2011–2016). Chandy had also served as Minister of Labour, Home, and Finance in various governments headed by K Karunakaran and A K Antony. He also served as the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.Representing Puthuppally constituency, Chandy served as the MLA for more than half a century setting the record for the longest tenure. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer, Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan, Union Minister V Muraleedharan, and leaders of various political parties condoled Chandy's demise.