Former minister and Kerala Congress (B) chairman R. Balakrishna Pillai has been admitted to a hospital in critical condition. The 86-year-old had been reportedly undergoing treatment for severe breathlessness for a few days. His condition worsened on Thursday morning and was rushed to a hospital in Trivandrum.

It may be noted that his son and former minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar was earlier diagnosed with COVID-19. It is unclear if the veteran politician had also contracted the infection.

Balakrishna Pillai is currently the chairman of the State Forward Development Corporation and is a director board member of the Nair Service Society (NSS). He had represented the Kottarakkara assembly constituency for seven consecutive terms from 1977 to 2001.