Basha (67) was having his breakfast when Dhanaseelan entered his house and hacked him to death with a sickle, police said.
Previous enmity is suspected to be the reason for the murder, police said.
Basha's aide, in an effort to protect the former MLA, immediately retaliated and hacked Dhanaseelan to death, police said.
Dhanaseelan, a Dalit leader from Melaramanadhi, entered the house of Basha through the back yard. As it was common for the local people to come to his house, workers present in the house did not prevent him.
After entering the dining hall of the former MLA, Dhanaseelan pulled out the sickle and hacked Basha to death.
He also attacked the former MLA's wife, who tried to protect her husband. She has suffered some injury on her hand.
A worker of the former MLA who heard Basha's wife raising an alarm, hacked Dhanaseelan immediately killing him on the spot and fled the spot.
A search was on to nab him, police said.
