KOLLAM (Kerala): Congress leader and former minister Kadavoor Sivadasan breathed his last on Friday at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
His body was taken to his native place in Kollam where it will be kept for the public to pay respects, first at the District Congress Committee Office, and later, at his house, Mini Sadan, near Anandavalleswaram temple.
Cremation will be held at the public crematorium in Mulankadakom at 4 pm on Friday.
The 87-year-old leader is survived by his wife R Vijayamma and children Mini S and Shaji Sivadasan.
Sivadasan entered politics through RSP and then switched to the Congress. He was an RSP candidate in 1980 and 1982. Later he went to the legislative assembly as a Congress candidate in 1991, 1996 and 2001 elections.
He was part of state governments led by K Karunakaran and AK Antony, handling portfolios such as Electricity, Forest, Excise, Health and Labour.
Sivadasan represented Kollam and Kundara assembly constituencies consecutively for 15 years. He is credited for establishing welfare boards for unorganised sectors, which led to the formation of such boards in all sectors.
Born on March 11, 1932, Sivadasan completed his school education at Thevally Government School, and finished his graduation in economics at SN College in Kollam. He studied law at Law College, Ernakulam.