<p>Veteran Kerala politician K M Mani passed away at Kochi on Tuesday afternoon. He was 86.</p>.<p>Mani, who had been serving as the founder chairman of Kerala Congress (M) party, was a sitting MLA over the last 54 years and also served as a minister in Kerala for 25 years. He was active in Kerala politics till recently, even during the seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha polls.</p>.<p>Following a sudden respiratory illness, he was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi on Sunday. But his condition worsened by Monday and he died by Tuesday afternoon.</p>.<p>MLA of Pala constituency in Kottayam district since 1965, Mani has to his credit many records as a politician and parliamentarian, including 54 years of the continuous term as an MLA by winning 13 consecutive elections and presenting Kerala budget for 13 times.</p>.<p>A native of Pala, Mani began his political career as an Indian National Congress worker. He was a founder member of the Kerala Congress party and later formed the Kerala Congress (M), a key coalition partner of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. His son Jose K Mani is at present Rajya Sabha MP. Mani also leaves behind wife Annamma and five daughters.</p>.<p>Mani was caught up in an embarrassment during his last term as Minister in the previous Congress-led UDF government in Kerala (2011-2016) with a section of bar owners alleging that Mani took a bribe from them offering a liquor policy favourable to them. His last budget presentation in 2015 was also marked with a major bedlam in Kerala Assembly with the Left front, which was the then Opposition, trying to prevent him from presenting the budget owing to the bar bribery allegation.</p>.<p>Mani's last rites will be held at Pala on Thursday, party sources said.</p>
<p>Veteran Kerala politician K M Mani passed away at Kochi on Tuesday afternoon. He was 86.</p>.<p>Mani, who had been serving as the founder chairman of Kerala Congress (M) party, was a sitting MLA over the last 54 years and also served as a minister in Kerala for 25 years. He was active in Kerala politics till recently, even during the seat-sharing talks for the Lok Sabha polls.</p>.<p>Following a sudden respiratory illness, he was admitted to a private hospital in Kochi on Sunday. But his condition worsened by Monday and he died by Tuesday afternoon.</p>.<p>MLA of Pala constituency in Kottayam district since 1965, Mani has to his credit many records as a politician and parliamentarian, including 54 years of the continuous term as an MLA by winning 13 consecutive elections and presenting Kerala budget for 13 times.</p>.<p>A native of Pala, Mani began his political career as an Indian National Congress worker. He was a founder member of the Kerala Congress party and later formed the Kerala Congress (M), a key coalition partner of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. His son Jose K Mani is at present Rajya Sabha MP. Mani also leaves behind wife Annamma and five daughters.</p>.<p>Mani was caught up in an embarrassment during his last term as Minister in the previous Congress-led UDF government in Kerala (2011-2016) with a section of bar owners alleging that Mani took a bribe from them offering a liquor policy favourable to them. His last budget presentation in 2015 was also marked with a major bedlam in Kerala Assembly with the Left front, which was the then Opposition, trying to prevent him from presenting the budget owing to the bar bribery allegation.</p>.<p>Mani's last rites will be held at Pala on Thursday, party sources said.</p>