Kottayam: Actors Mammootty, Suresh Gopi and Dileep are amongst the thousands of people, cutting across political lines, who have gathered at the Thirunakkara Maidanam to pay last respect to the former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
The film stars reached the venue around 9 am even as the funeral procession of Chandy which started from Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday morning was a few kilometres away from Thirunakkara.
Apart from Congress leaders including MPs and MLAs, senior CPM leaders including M A Baby, E P Jayarajan and Suresh Kurup are at the venue to pay their final homage to Chandy.
Actor-filmmaker and Congress supporter Ramesh Pisharody is among the artistes who have gathered at Thirunakkara. Both Mammootty and Suresh Gopi, a former Rajya Sabha member, had earlier offered touching tributes to Chandy with who they shared a longtime relationship.
Thousands of people, from and outside the Congress fold, have been waiting at Thirunakkara since last night to have a final glimpse of Chandy.
The body will be taken to Chandy's ancestral house at Puthuppally from Thirunakkara after public viewing. The funeral will take place at Puthuppally church later in the day. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will be attending the funeral.
