Kerala: Nilambur UDF candidate VV Prakash passes away

Malappuram District Congress Committee president and Nilambur constituency's United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate VV Prakash passed away here on Thursday morning. He was 56.

Prakash suffered a heart attack at midnight and was rushed from his house in Edakkara to a nearby hospital but as his condition worsened, he was shifted to Manjeri hospital where he died.

His funeral will be held at 3 pm at Palunda near Edakkara.

The Congress had hoped to seize the Nilambur seat through Prakash. PV Anvar, the sitting MLA of LDF, was the rival of Prakash in this fight.

Prakash had unsuccessfully contested in the assembly election in Tavanur constituency against LDF's KT Jaleel in 2011.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor expressed his condolence over the sudden and untimely demise of Prakash.

"Shocked to learn of the sudden and untimely demise of @INCKerala Assembly candidate in Nilambur, VV Prakash, whom I campaigned for personally & whose victory we had all been anticipating on May 2. A dedicated social & political worker, he was president of the DCC. Om Shanti," Tharoor tweeted.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the UDF Nilambur candidate will be remembered as an honest and hardworking member of the Congress.

"The untimely demise of Malappuram DCC President and UDF Nilambur candidate V V Prakash Ji is extremely tragic. He will be remembered as an honest and hardworking member of Congress, always ready to offer help to the people. My heartfelt condolences to his family," Gandhi wrote on Facebook.

Prakash was born in Edakkara. He was a KSU activist during his college days and had served as KPCC Secretary, Youth Congress state general secretary, KSU state general secretary, state transport authority member among others.

( With inputs from ANI )