Communist Party of India leader and former legislator Kaniyapuram Ramachandran died at the Medical College Hospital on Monday, party sources said.
Ramachandran, 67, is survived by his wife and two children.
Ramachandran left a mark as playwright, orator and journalist.
Entering politics as a student activist, Ramachandran had served as state vice-president and joint secretary of the All India Students Federation during 1957-64 and the state president of All India Youth Federation during 1969-74.
He was elected to the CPI national council in 1971 and 1975.
Ramachandran was elected to the Kerala Assembly from Nedumangad segment in 1977 and unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha poll from Thiruvananthapuram in 1999.
He had written 13 plays, most of them staged by the pro-Left theatre group Kerala People's Arts Club. He also wrote lyrics for some of them.
As a journalist, he was associated with publications like Viswakeralam, Kaumudi and CPI daily Janayugam and contributed articles for many leading newspapers and periodicals.
