Senior Congress leader and Opposition UDF candidate from Nilambur VV Prakash died of a heart attack this morning, party sources said.
The 56-year-old leader was also Malappuram District Congress Committee president. He had undergone angioplasty a few months back.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders including from rival parties extended their condolences to the family.
Mr Gandhi tweeted, "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."
DCC sources said Mr Prakash was admitted to a private hospital in Edakkara in the early hours of Thursday after he complained of heart-related discomfort, but was shifted to a facility in Manjeri as his condition worsened.
He passed away around 5 am, they said.
The Congress party was hoping to wrest the Nilambur seat from the ruling LDF alliance. The CPI(M) had fielded incumbent MLA P V Anwar.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, IUML leader PK Kunhalikutty condoled the Congress leader's demise.
The keenly fought state assembly polls were held on April 6 and the counting of votes is scheduled for May 2.
Rahul Gandhi To Address 2 Poll Rallies In Jammu And Kashmir On September 4 Congress Reveals Money Rahul Gandhi Received To Fight Lok Sabha Polls "Bharat Dojo Yatra Soon": Rahul Gandhi Shares Video Of Martial Arts Session US Millionaire, Who Died By Suicide, Owed $34 Million With $8,000 In Bank What Is Symbiosexuality? New Form Of Sexual Attraction Explained By Experts Manipur Chief Minister Slams Tejashwi Yadav Over "Racist" Jab At Himanta Sarma IPS Officer Rajwinder Singh Bhatti Takes Charge As CISF Director General 13-Year-Old Pregnant After Rape By School Peon In UP's Farukkhabad: Cops 1962 Indo-China War Era Smoke Bomb Found In Assam, Safely Blasted: Police Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.