KOTTAYAM:
Changanassery MLA C F Thomas passed away at a private hospital in Kerala's Thiruvalla on Sunday. He was 81.
The MLA had not been seen in public for several days due to ill health.
Thomas was the deputy chairman of the Joseph group in the Kerala Congress (M) and was also a former minister.
He was the MLA for nine times. He had been representing Changanassery in the assembly since 1980.
He was a close aide of the former Kerala Congress chairman late K M Mani.
However, when the party split, he did not join Mani's son Jose K Mani and became part of Joseph group.
C F Thomas was the rural development minister in the A K Antony government from 2001 to 2006.