Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi was hospitalised on Wednesday to undergo a minor endoscopic procedure. He was admitted to Kauvery Hospital in Alwarpet, Chennai, this morning and will be discharged from hospital later today, a medical bulletin issued by the hospital stated.

The 94-year-old has been in and out of hospital in the last year, and was previously admitted in December to undergo a tracheotomy, to help optimise breathing. He had had trouble breathing due to a lung and throat infection.

The five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu celebrated his 94th birthday on June 3 this year. Several leaders, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had arrived in Chennai to attend his birthday celebrations. Former President Pranab Mukherjee and former vice-president Hamid Ansari had also wished the DMK chief.

Karunanidhi, who has not lost a single election in his six-decade career, has not been attending public events since last year. He had recently failed to cast his vote in the presidential poll due to health reasons and doctor’s advice. The party’s council, in January this year, had elected Karunanidhi’s son, Stalin, as the DMK’s Working President. Stalin has long been considered the political heir of Karunanidhi.