Ernakulam, April 9: Veteran Kerala politician KM Mani on Tuesday died at a private hospital in Kochi. Suffering from a lung ailment since his admission to the hospital last week, Mani passed away at the age of 86 years.

The senior Kerala Congress (M) leader and former Kerala Finance Minister never lost any Assembly election since 1967. Mani was undergoing treatment for a chest infection at Kochi’s Lakeshore hospital, was hospitalised on April 4. KM Mani Health Update: Kerala Congress (M) Leader's Condition Deteriorates

On Monday, the hospital in a bulletin had said Mani's haemodynamic status remained stable. Mani has been suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) for several years and has frequently been hospitalised for a chest infection, it added. He has been an MLA of Pala assembly constituency for 50 consecutive years.

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

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2019 05:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).