Former Kerala minister and Congress leader MP Gangadharan on Monday died in a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram following a brief illness, family sources said.
The 77-year-old leader had been undergoing treatment for an intestinal problem for the last few days.
Gangadharan, survived by his wife and three children, was elected to the Kerala Assembly six times and was Irrigation Minister in the KKarunakaran cabinet from 1982 to 1986.
A close follower of Karunakaran, he left Congress and joined the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), floated by the late leader in 2005.
He was also part of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) when it was headed by Karunakaran's son K Muraleedharan in the state.
Gangadharan later returned to the Congress along with the father-son duo.
Hailing from Malappuram district, he was elected to the Assembly from Nilambur, Pattambi and Ponnani segments. He was also a former chairman of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.