Is Former Kerala CM V.S. Achuthanandan Stable After Cardiac Arrest?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- V.S. Achuthanandan is a significant political figure in Kerala's history.
- He served as Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011.
- His health is currently stable after a cardiac arrest.
- Achuthanandan's political journey is marked by both victories and defeats.
- His recent hospitalization reflects ongoing political dynamics.
Thiruvananthapuram, June 23 (NationPress) The esteemed CPI-M veteran and former Chief Minister of Kerala, V.S. Achuthanandan, was admitted to a hospital on Monday following a cardiac arrest.
Now aged 101, he has spent the last few years primarily in his son’s residence.
According to M.V. Govindan, the state CPI-M Secretary, Achuthanandan’s current state has been reported as stable by the medical professionals attending to him.
Achuthanandan held the Chief Minister's office from 2006 until 2011, subsequently serving as the Leader of Opposition from 2011 to 2016.
Despite leading the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to a significant victory in the 2016 state Assembly elections, he was ultimately succeeded in the Chief Minister's role by Pinarayi Vijayan.
With national leadership's intervention, Achuthanandan was placated and appointed as the Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee with Cabinet status.
However, due to declining health and age, Achuthanandan resigned from this position in January 2021 and has remained mostly indoors since then.
In 1996, as he was poised to assume the Chief Minister's role, he faced one of his most significant electoral defeats at the hands of a relatively unknown Congress candidate, P.J. Francis, in his stronghold of Mararikulam in Alappuzha district.
Francis, who recently passed away, was a notable figure in that election.
Following his defeat in 1996, Achuthanandan contested from the Malampuzha constituency in Palakkad district for the next four Assembly elections, with his final political contest occurring in 2016.
Since the late 1990s, Achuthanandan and Vijayan have had a tumultuous relationship, particularly peaking during Achuthanandan's term as Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011.
His hospitalization coincides with recent political events, including the loss of CPI-M candidate M. Swaraj in the Nilambur Assembly by-election. Notably, Swaraj had previously remarked that Achuthanandan should face severe repercussions for his criticisms during the ongoing tensions with Vijayan.