Veteran Kerala politician and former state finance minister KM Mani died on Tuesday at a private hospital in Kochi.

The 86-year-old had been undergoing treatment for chest infection at Lakeshore hospital in the city. 

Mani suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital since Sunday. According to Mathrubhumi, he was undergoing dialysis after a detailed checkup showed that his kidneys were damaged.

The veteran politician had been an MLA from Pala assembly constituency for 50 consecutive years and was the longest-serving member of the Kerala legislative assembly.

Mani, who was declared the party candidate for Kottayam seat for the 23 April Lok Sabha polls, was not seen on the election campaign trail due to frequent hospitalisation.

His party Kerala Congress (M) is a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in the state.

As a minister in the state, Mani had held portfolios like Revenue, Law, Irrigation, Home and Finance.

Mani was the only politician to be elected from the same constituency for 13 consecutive elections, reported The NewsMinute.

He is survived by his wife Kuttiyamma, son Jose K Mani, who is a Rajya Sabha MP and daughters Elsa, Annie , Sally, Tessy and Smitha.