Congress MP H Vasanthakumar passes away due to Covid-19 at Chennai hospital

New Delhi, Aug 28: Congress MP from Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari, H Vasanthakumar succumbed to Covid-19 disease on Friday.

The 70-year old leader was undergoing treatment at a Apollo Hospitals in Chennai since August 10. He was on ECMO and Ventilator support and monitored by a multidisciplinary team of doctors.

Born in Agastheeswaram in Kanyakumari district, Vasanthakumar started his career as a salesman in the early 70s. In the year 1978 he started a home appliances sales showroom Vasanth & Co, which has grown to be a chain of showrooms operating in all the districts of Tamil Nadu, Bengaluru and Puducherry.

He won the 2006 Tamil Nadu assembly election to become a MLA, competing against S.P. Sooryakumar of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. He gave an assurance to the voters that if his coalition came to power, the ambitious project of establishing a Special Economic Zone at Nanguneri with high-tech park would be considered.

He served as MLA from the Nanguneri Constituency of Tirunelveli district between 2006 and 2011. He was the Vice-President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and also the Chairman of the TNCC Traders cell. He won the 2016 Tamil Nadu assembly election from Nanguneri Constituency with a tiny margin.

Meanwhile he contested in the 17th Loksabha elections and won from Kanyakumari constituency in 2019. He won against incumbent Minister of State for Finance Pon Radhakrishnan with over 250,000 margin.