Thiruvananthapuram: After more than 50 years, the Kerala Legislative Assembly will reconvene on August 7 without Oommen Chandy as a member. Veteran Congress leader Chandy passed away, aged 79, on Tuesday.
Chandy's name was a constant on the Assembly's 'Roll of Members' since 1970 when he was first elected as an MLA from the Puthuppally constituency in the Kottayam district. Ever since Chandy never vacated his seat; he was elected a record 12 times in a row.
Due to health issues, Chandy skipped the entirety of the eighth session, from January 23 to March 30.
On Wednesday, the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the demise of Chandy, who served as chief minister of the state for two terms.
"His contributions as minister of important departments like Finance and Home Affairs and as Chief Minister cannot be forgotten. His work as UDF convenor was also worth remembering,” the cabinet noted.
The meeting has decided to recommend to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to convene the session on August 7.