Senior Congress leader M I Shanavas died early Wednesday at a private hospital in Chennai, Tamil Nadu after a prolonged illness.
He was 67 and leaves his wife, son and daughter, family sources said.
The Member of Parliament, who represented the Wayanad constituency twice-- 2009, 2014, in the Lok Sabha, breathed his last at around 1 am.
He had undergone a liver transplant on November 2.
His mortal remains were brought to Kochi in the afternoon and kept for public homage.
The funeral will be held Thursday at Kochi.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi described Shanavas as a "much loved and respected member" of the Congress family.
In a tweet, he said "With the passing of Shri M.I. Shanavas, two term Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, Kerala, the Congress family has lost a much loved and respected member.
My thoughts & prayers are with his family & friends in this time of grief."
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan along with senior congress leader and former chief minister Oommen Chandy and opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala condoled the death.
Former Defence minister, A K Antony, KPCC President, Mullapally Ramachanrdan, Chennithala and former KPCC president V M Sudheeran, were among the hundreds of party workers and leaders who paid homage as the body was brought to the state.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Congress president Su.Thirunavukkarasar paid homage as the mortal remains were brought to Chennai Airport en route to Kochi.
Shanavas, who began his political career as a Kerala Students Union (KSU) member, was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 when he registered a record win from Wayanad, defeating his rival by a margin of over 1.53 lakh votes.
In the 2014 elections, he retained the seat.
He thus wiped out the ignominy of three defeats he had to face in the 1987, 1991 and 1996 elections to the state assembly and two to the Lok Sabha in 1999 and 2004.
Shanavas, a softspoken person and popular in television debates, was busy with rebuilding initiatives in post-flood Wayanad, when he died.
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