Kolkata, January 21: CPI(M) Central Committee member and Chairman of Tripura's ruling Left Front Khagen Das died of a massive heart attack early today in Kolkata, family and party sources said. He was 79 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.

The former state minister and parliamentarian, who was in Kolkata to attend the party's Central Committee meeting, died at Tripura Bhavan at around 3.30 am. CPI(M) announced that the party's flag would remain half mast today and tomorrow and all party programmes in Tripura were suspended for the two days to mourn his death.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechuri, Politburo member Prakash Karat and other party leaders paid floral tribute to the mortal remains of Das in Kolkata. Das was elected as an MLA in 1978 and 1983 from Majlishpur constituency in Tripura.

He was a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1998-2002 and in 2002 he was elected to the Lok Sabha from West Tripura constituency and repeatedly won from the constituency till 2014. Reports inform that Khagen Das's body be donated to the government-run Gobinda Ballav Panth Medical College and Hospital in Agartala on Monday.