THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Kanam Rajendran, passed away at the age of 73 at a private hospital in Kerala's Kochi, said an official on Friday.

According to the official, Rajendran had been undergoing diabetes treatment for three months. He had taken a three-month leave from the party due to illness.

Kanam Rajendran has been the State Secretary of the party since 2015.

Born in 1950 at Koottickal in Kerala's Kottayam, the leader kicked off his political career at a young age and became the state secretary of All India Youth Front (AIYF), the youth wing of the CPI, at the age of 23.

Later, he joined the party's state leadership at the age of 28.