Veteran leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and former Kerala Chief Minister P.K. Vasudevan Nair died following multiple organ failure here yesterday. He was 79.

Nair is survived by his wife Lakshmikutty and children K.P. Rajendran, Sarada, Nirmala, Jayakrishnan and Kesavan Kutty.

Nair's body will be brought to Thiruvananthapuram today and the funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at Perumbavoor.

Nair, known to his followers as PKV, who was admitted to New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences following lung infection, passed away at 3.30am local time, CPI leader D. Raja said.

Nair, a low profile yet impressive politician of a rare breed of clean and efficient politicians from the state, wielded a charm on anyone who came in touch with him. Belying his soft exterior, Nair was also among the more efficient administrators Kerala had produced, lending his mite to create a number of institutions in the government sector during the seventies.

Born in Kidangoor in Kottayam district in 1926 to Kesava Pillai and Nanikutty, Nair studied at the Union Christian College in Aluva and later joined the Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram to pursue a degree in law.

However, he soon plunged into student politics and left his law studies half way.

Nair joined the united Communist Party in 1945 and was briefly in charge of the party's publication wing Janayugam Publications between 1955 and 1957.

He was married to the sister of renowned writer and CPM idealogue P. Govinda Pillai.

In 1957 he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Tiruvalla constituency. This was followed by victories in Lok Sabha polls from the Alappuzha constituency in 1962 and from Peermade in 1967.

In 1977, Nair became a member of the state assembly, representing Alappuzha and was industry minister in the A.K. Antony government.

In 1978 he became chief minister for a year, but when the Communist Party of India left the Congress front in 1979, Nair resigned as chief minister.

He was re-elected from the Alappuzha constituency in 1980, but tasted defeat in 1982. Since then he had kept off electoral politics, and was the CPI's state secretary between 1984 and 1988.

Nair bounced back into prominence in 2004 when he contested the Lok Sabha polls from Thiruvananthapuram and won, and also became the parliamentary party leader of he CPI.