K. B. Ganesh Kumar | |
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Minister for Transport, Government of Kerala | |
Assumed office 29 December 2023 | |
Preceded by | Antony Raju |
Constituency | Pathanapuram |
Chairman,Kerala Congress (B) | |
Assumed office 10 May 2021 | |
Preceded by | R. Balakrishna Pillai |
Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
Assumed office May 2001 | |
Preceded by | K. Prekash Babu |
Constituency | Pathanapuram |
Minister of Forests &Environment,Sports and Cinema,Government of Kerala | |
In office 23 May 2011 –1 April 2013 | |
Minister for Transport,Government of Kerala | |
In office 2001 –2003 | |
President,Nair Service Society,Pathanapuram Taluk Union | |
Assumed office 27 December 2021 | |
Preceded by | R. Balakrishna Pillai |
Director Board Member,Nair Service Society | |
Assumed office 23 June 2023 | |
Preceded by | Kalanjoor Madhu |
Personal details | |
Born | Kollam,Kerala,India | 25 May 1966
Political party | Kerala Congress (B) (UDF:2001–2014) (Independent 2014-2015) (LDF:2015–present) |
Spouses |
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Children | 2 |
Parents |
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Occupation |
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Website | kbganeshkumar |
Keezhoote Balakrishna Ganesh Kumar (born 25 May 1967) is an Indian actor, television host, and politician who is serving as the Minister for Transport of Kerala since December 2023 and previously from 2001 to 2003. He has also served as the Minister for Forests and Environment, Sports and Cinema of Kerala from 2011 to 2013. He is a Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly representing Pathanapuram since 2001. He is the Chairman of the Kerala Congress (B) party. He made his debut as an actor in the film Irakal (1985) directed by K. G. George. He has starred in over 100 Malayalam films, performing a variety of roles.
He was the Minister for Forests & Environment, Sports and Cinema in the Government of Kerala beginning May 2011 until his resignation on 1 April 2013. He was elected from Pathanapuram in 2001 and has represented the constituency ever since. He was Transport Minister from May 2001 to March 2003. He is the son of R. Balakrishna Pillai, former Minister of Kerala.
In May 2001, Ganesh Kumar was elected to the Kerala Assembly from Pathanapuram on a Kerala Congress (B) ticket. He defeated his opponent, K. Prakash Babu, by a margin of 9,931 votes. [1] Ganesh Kumar's father and former Minister, R. Balakrishna Pillai had also been elected from the neighbouring constituency of Kottarakara, which he had represented for several decades.
Ganesh Kumar became Transport Minister in the Antony cabinet in May 2001 and went on to give a good account of himself. Though a political novice at that time, he turned around the ailing KSRTC and earned a reputation for providing a clean and efficient administration. In March 2003, he stepped down from his ministerial post to facilitate his father's induction into the Cabinet.
In the 2006 Assembly elections, Ganesh Kumar was once again elected from Pathanapuram, this time realising an increased victory margin of 11,814 votes by defeating K. R. Chandramohanan of CPI. [2] LDF had made a clean sweep, winning 11 out of 12 seats in Kollam District and a formidable majority in the State Assembly, thereby making Ganesh Kumar the only UDF MLA from Kollam district. The election also saw the defeat of many of his former ministerial colleagues, including M. K. Muneer, P. K. Kunhalikutty, Babu Divakaran and Ganesh Kumar's father Balakrishna Pillai.
In the 2011 Assembly elections, Ganesh Kumar scored a hat-trick win from Pathanapuram with an even bigger margin of 20,402 votes, trouncing his veteran CPM rival, K. Rajagopal. [3] [4] He went on to become a Minister for Forests, Sports and Cinema in the Oommen Chandy cabinet in May 2011. He resigned from cabinet due to the domestic violence case filed by his wife Yamini Thankachi on 7 April 2013. In the 2016 Assembly elections, Ganesh Kumar become an LDF candidate and defeated Jagadish of Indian National Congress by a margin of 24,562 votes.
Ganesh was born in a Hindu Nair family as the son of former minister R. Balakrishna Pillai and Valsala Kumari in Kollam, Kerala on 25 May 1967. He was an alumnus of Government Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram. [5] [6] [7] [8]
On 20 May 1994, he married Dr. Yamini Thankachy, who worked as a senior research fellow at the Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies while pursuing her Ph.D. in Adolescent health. The couple have two sons, Adithyan and Devaraman. The couple later divorced due to irreconcilable differences due to Kumar's infidelity & domestic violence. Ganesh married Bindhu Menon on 24 January 2014 who works as marketing head in Asianet. [9]
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(December 2020) |
Ganesh Kumar made his debut in the 1985 Malayalam film Irakal directed by K. G. George. The film was adjudged the second best film for the year. Over the years he made his a mark on the silver screen as a supporting actor, performing a variety of roles during the last two decades. Since 2001 he has balanced his role as MLA with his acting duties.
Ganesh Kumar's early films saw him frequently donning the role of villain or anti-social, as portrayed in Cheppu (1987) and Rakuyilin Ragasadassil. The film Lion (2005), starring Dileep and Kavya Madhavan was loosely based on Ganesh Kumar's life. The movie fared well at the box office.
In March 2008, Ganesh Kumar was chosen by the Frame Media Gallup poll to receive the best actor award for his role in the Amrita TV serial Aliyanmarum Penganmarum. He went on to win the State Award for Best Television Actor (2007) for his role in the serial Madhavam, aired on Surya TV.
Fenny Balakrishnan, the former lawyer and counsel for Saritha S Nair, the prime accused in the 2013 solar scam, had raised serious allegations against Ganesh Kumar, [10] saying that Ganesh Kumar added four pages to Saritha S. Nair's letter, bringing the total number of pages to 25. [11]
In 2018, he allegedly assaulted a youth in a road rage incident, with the youth ending up in a hospital for injury treatment. [12] Later that year he allegedly manhandled a school headmaster in a school event, facing charges. [13]
Sreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar or simply Jagathy, is an Indian actor, director and playback singer, who has appeared in over 1500 Malayalam films in a career spanning almost four decades. Widely regarded as the greatest comedian in the history of Malayalam cinema, he is also known for his highly nuanced character roles. He is the son of acclaimed dramaturge and writer, the late Jagathy N. K. Achary.
Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded in Kottayam, Kerala in October 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala. Initially its main support came from the Syrian Christians of central Kerala and the Nair community of southern Kerala.
Malabar Gopalan Nair Sreekumar, better known as M.G. Sreekumar is an Indian playback singer, composer Bank employee, music producer, television presenter and film producer, Bank employee
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Madathilparambil Seshan Venkitaraman, known by his stage name M. S. Thripunithura, was an Indian actor who worked in Malayalam film Industry. He was born in Thripunithura in the erstwhile Cochin State. He died in Shoranur due to cardiac arrest while he was on the way to Ernakulam.
Sudheer Kumar, better known by his stage name Maniyanpilla Raju, is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam film industry. His debut film was Mohiniyaattam in 1976. He has played a variety of roles as a character actor, appearing in over 400 films. His stage name was derived from the character he played in the film Maniyanpilla Adhava Maniyanpilla (1981), his break-through role.
Raju Daniel, better known by his stage name Captain Raju, was an Indian actor and army officer. He acted in more than 600 films in various languages, including Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and English. He was best known for his performances in character roles, and as a villain. He also appeared in television serials and advertisements and has also directed two Malayalam films. The comic professional assassin character called Pavanayi played by Captain Raju appearing in the movie Nadodikkattu developed a cult status in Malayalam cinema.
Kerala Congress (B) [Abbr. KEC(B)] is a registered political party in Kerala, formed by R. Balakrishna Pillai, a former minister of the government of Kerala. At present, the party has one MLA in the state Legislative Assembly, namely K. B. Ganesh Kumar, a well-known film actor and son of R. Balakrishna Pillai, who has been representing the Pathanapuram constituency in Kollam District since 2001. The KEC(B) is the part of LDF.
Keezhoote Raman Balakrishna Pillai was an Indian politician who served as minister of the state of Kerala in India, holding portfolios such as Transport and Electricity. He was a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Kottarakara constituency in Kollam district for almost three decades. He was the Chairman of Kerala Congress (B). Throughout his political career, Pillai remained a controversial figure in Kerala state politics. He was the first Kerala minister to be imprisoned for corruption.
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Sreekandan Nair is a media personality, television anchor, veteran journalist and Managing Director of Flowers TV and 24 News. He has hosted several Malayalam TV shows, including Oru Nimisham, Nammal Thammil, and Samadooram. He was formerly a presenter on Doordarshan, the content head and senior Vice President of Asianet in the Kerala sector of India, and a consultant to the entertainment television operations of Mazhavil Manorama. He has hosted a talk show called the 'Sreekandan Nair Show' on Flowers TV in which he achieved Guinness World Records along with Flowers TV for hosting a TV talk-show for 6 hours and asked 674 questions on 18 March 2018.
The Kerala Congress (KEC) has suffered severe divisions and several factions, and a number of parties have emerged over the years, all claiming the name Kerala Congress in various times in its history. Factions include KEC under P. J. Joseph, KEC(M) under Jose K. Mani, KEC(B) under K. B. Ganesh Kumar, and KEC(J) under Anoop Jacob.