Nilambur UDF candidate VV Prakash passed away from a cardiac arrest early this morning. He was 56.
Prakash who is also the Malappuram District Congress Committee president, suffered from chest pain and was rushed to a private hospital in Manjeri. He breathed his last at 5 am. Prakash, who was UDF’s candidate from the Nilambur constituency for the recent Kerala Assembly Elections, contested against LDF backed independent candidate PV Anwar and BJP’s TK Ashok Kumar. The Congress had hoped to secure the Nilambur seat through Prakash.
Prakash, the son of the late Krishnan Nair and Sarojini Amma, was active in the Congress party since his teens. He rose to prominence for his activities while being in the Kerala Students Union. He has held posts such as KSU Ernad Taluk President, KPCC Secretary, Youth Congress, KSU State General Secretary and was a member of the State Transport Authority. Prakash, who holds a Bachelor of Legislative Law degree from the Government Law College, Kozhikode, was also a member of the Calicut University Senate, former president of the East Ernad Service Co-operative Bank and the former president of the Edakara Co-operative Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Smitha, daughters, Nandan and Nila.
Meanwhile, Prakash’s sudden demise has left the UDF leaders and party workers in a state of shock. Shafi Parambil MLA expressed disbelief that Prakash was no more. “Even when I spoke with the partymen the other day, we were certain of a UDF victory in Nilambur. Prakash was a model for Youth Congress workers,” he said. An emotional Congress leader T Siddique said that Prakash was a true Gandhian. “Never thought that I would have to pay condolences to him,” said Siddique.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote, "The untimely demise of Malappuram DCC President & UDF Nilambur candidate V V Prakash Ji is extremely tragic. He will be remembered as an honest & hardworking member of the Congress, always ready to offer help to the people. My heartfelt condolences to his family."
