KOCHI: Senior Congress leader and former minister C N Balakrishnan died at a private hospital here Monday night due to pneumonia. He was 87.

A long standing aide of former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, Balakrishnan was the Thrissur district Congress committee president for 17 years and was also the treasurer of the state unit for long.

It was in 2011 that Balakrishnan first contested the polls and went on to become the state Cooperation Minister in the Oommen Chandy cabinet.

He is survived by wife Thankamani and daughters C B Geetha and Mini Balram.

A native of Puzhakkal, Balakrishnan became active in politics through Bhoodan Movement. Balakrishnan first contested for an Assembly seat at 75 in 2011 and won from Wadakkanchery.