Congress president Rahul Gandhi visited the residence of late Kerala Congress (M) leader KM Mani and met the family members of the departed soul here on Tuesday.
He expressed his condolences to Mani's family over the veteran politician's demise.
Mani, a sitting MLA over the last 54 years, had passed away in Kochi on April 9 at the age of 86. He had served as a minister in the Kerala government for 25 years.
He was suffering from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) for several years and was undergoing treatment for chest infection in a hospital earlier this month.
Mani was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1965 from Pala constituency of Kerala's Kottayam district.
A founder member of Kerala Congress party, Mani later formed the Kerala Congress (M), a key coalition partner of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala.
Soon after his death, the Congress president expressed condolences to Mani's family: "I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Shri K M Mani, a highly respected & beloved leader of the Kerala Congress who was elected MLA a record 13 times. My condolences to his family, friends and supporters in this time of grief. May his soul rest in peace," Gandhi had posted on Twitter.
Mani is survived by his wife Annamma, son Jose K Mani who is also a Rajya Sabha MP and five daughters.
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