Former legislator and senior vice president of the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) M.K. Premnath passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Friday morning. He was 73.
Mr. Premnath had a long-standing involvement in politics, representing the Vadakara Assembly segment from 2006 to 2011. In the 2011 Assembly elections, he had unsuccessfully contested as a candidate of the Socialist Janata (Democratic) Party from the same constituency.
Born on June 24, 1950 at Eramala in Vadakara to Narayana Kurup and Padmavathy Amma, Mr. Premnath had entered politics as a student at Azhiyoor High School, inspired by the socialist movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan. He held positions such as State president and secretary of the Independent Students Organisation, the student wing of the Socialist Party, which played a crucial role in opposing the Emergency.
During his political career, he had also served as the acting president of Yuva Janata Dal and held the post of State general secretary in the Janata Dal. He had faced arrest during the Emergency period.
Beyond politics, Mr. Premnath had actively participated in literary activities and was also the president of the Vadakara Cooperative Rural Bank. He had taken the role of editor for the monthly publication Swathanthra Bhoomi for some time.
