Former Congress minister P Sankaran dies at 72

Senior Congress leader P Sankaran, once known as the close confidant of former chief minister late K Karunakaran, passed away here, party sources said.

The 72-year-old leader was unwell and under treatment at a private hospital in the district for some time, they said, adding he breathed his last on Tuesday night. Sankaran is survived by wife, V Sudha and son and daughters.

Known for his polite behaviour and down-to-earth nature, Sankaran had served as the president of the District Congress Committee (DCC) and the general secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) for 10 years. He had been chosen by Karunakaran to take on media doyen M P Veerendrakumar from Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency in 1998, in which he defeated the latter.

The leader won from Koyilandy assembly constituency in 2001 and became the health-tourism minister in the A K Antony ministry. When Karunakaran left the Congress to float a new party in 2005, Sankaran, his staunch loyalist, also quit as a legislator. He retired to the grand-old-party when the veteran rejoined it later. Cutting across politics, a host of leaders including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of the leader.