Thiruvananthapuram, 23 June

Former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader VS Achuthanandan has been admitted to a private hospital here following a cardiac attack, hospital sources said here on Monday.

The 101-year-old leader is reported to be in stable condition and is under observation, they said.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan, who visited Achuthanandan at the hospital, told reporters that a team of cardiologists is monitoring his health.

"Doctors have said his condition is stable for now," he said.

Achuthanandan, a towering figure in Kerala politics, has been battling age-related health issues in recent years and has stayed away from public life.

He is the last surviving leader from the group that founded the CPI(M) in 1964 after the historic split in the undivided Communist party.

Achuthanandan served as Kerala's Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011.

A seven-time MLA, Achuthanandan contested 10 elections during his political career, losing only three.