Former Kovalam MLA George Mercier passes away

Former Kovalam MLA George Mercier passed away on Wednesday at the age of 68. The senior Congress leader was suffering from liver ailments. 

Mercier, a practising lawyer with specialisation in cybercrime and property laws, had served Kerala as MLA from the Kovalam constituency from 2006 to 2011. He was undergoing treatment for the past week at a private hospital in the city. 

The Congress leader was an active member of trade unions and had also served as the Thiruvananthapuram Congress District Committee vice president. He had also served as the president of district cooperative bank and was a member of the Kerala university academic council.

The leader’s mortal remains will be brought to the District Congress Committee office at 10:30 am on Thursday, reported Times of India. A funeral service will also be held at St Thomas Church, Palayam at 11 am.

Mercier leaves behind his wife P Prasannakumari, a former manager with the Indian Overseas Bank and two sons, Arun and Anoop.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapally Ramachandran was quoted in the Times of India as saying that Mercier’s death has created a vacuum in the district leadership in Thiruvananthapuram.

Opposition leader from the Congress Ramesh Chennithala expressed his condolences and stated that the loss of Mercier is a blow to both Kerala and the Congress party. 

Thiruvananthapuram Member of Parliament (MP) Shashi Tharoor also expressed his condolences recalling Mercier as a strong leader who had organised campaigns for the Kazahkkoottam assembly segment polls in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also expressed his condolences at the demise of the Congress leader.