Thiruvananthapuram,   P.T. Thomas, the Congress legislator from Kerala and State Congress Working President, passed away at the CMC hospital in Vellore on Wednesday, said party sources.

The 71-year-old Thomas was a four-time legislator and represented Idukki Lok Sabha constituency from 2009-14 and since 2016 has been representing Thrikakara Assembly constituency in Ernakulam district.

The Congress legislator was a heart patient and was recently diagnosed of cancer and was undergoing treatment at CMC Vellore where he breathed his last at 10.15 a.m. on Wednesday.

A no-nonsense leader, Thomas, had no qualms in fighting for what he felt was right and that helped him all through his political career and in the most recently concluded Assembly session, he took on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan boldly and exposed his stand on certain issues and there were times when the two even exchanged words on the floor of the Assembly.

Following the poll debacle in the April 2 Assembly polls, while he won, the party suffered badly and soon the party decided to bring in new faces and even though being a legislator, he was made a Working President of the newly-constituted State Congress Committee.

Condolences have started to pour in and Vijayan said a brilliant parliamentarian and one who believed in what he took up has passed away and it's a huge loss.

The body is likely to be brought to his Assembly constituency on Thursday and the last rites will be held later.

Thomas is survived by his wife and two sons.