K. Muraleedharan

Last updated

K. Muraleedharan
KMuraleedharan.jpg
Minister for Electricity, Government of Kerala
In office
11 February 2004 14 May 2004
Alma mater
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Lawyer
  • Social worker

Kannoth Muraleedharan (born 14 May 1957) is an Indian National Congress politician. He was the MP from Vatakara, Kerala. He is the son of Congress leader K. Karunakaran. He was elected as an MP from Kozhikode constituency (1989, 1991, 1999) and from Vatakara constituency (2019). He was elected as an MLA (2011, 2016) from Vattiyoorkkavu constituency. He lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election from Thrissur constituency.

Contents

Personal life

Muraleedharan was born to K. Karunakaran and Kalyanikutty Amma in Thrissur, Kerala on 14 May 1957. His younger sister, Padmaja Venugopal, is also a politician. Their family hails from Chirakkal, Kannur. After pursuing BA from Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram, he qualified in LLB from The Kerala Law Academy Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. [2] [3]

Muraleedharan is married to Jyothi. They have two sons, Arun Narayanan and Sabari Nath. [4]

Political career

Muraleedharan started his political career within the Congress party as a Seva Dal worker. Thereafter, he held the posts of District chairman and State Chief of Kerala Seva Dal. [2] He was elected as Member of Parliament from the Calicut (Kozhikode) constituency in the General Elections of 1989 by defeating veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader E. K. Imbichi Bava and winning re-election in 1991 by defeating Janata Dal leader M. P. Veerendra Kumar. In the 1996 general election, he lost his seat to M. P. Veerendra Kumar and subsequently failed in Thrissur Loksabha seat in his comeback attempt in the 1998 election, before regaining Kozhikode seat by defeating Janata Dal national leader and former Union Minister C. M. Ibrahim in 1999. [5] Thereafter, he held the roles of General secretary, Vice-President of Kerala Congress Committee (KPCC) and became the President of KPCC during 2001–2004.

In February 2004, Muraleedharan was appointed Minister of Power in the A. K. Antony Ministry, though he was not a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly. [6] He was required to win a seat within six months to continue as the minister but lost in by-election from Wadakkancherry. Subsequently, he resigned in May that year. He is the only state Minister who was never MLA and never faced the legislative assembly. [7]

In 2005, when the Karunakaran faction of the Indian National Congress party had differences with the party leadership and the United Democratic Front (UDF), some members of the party quit and formed another party named Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) (DIC(K)). They allied with the Left Democratic Front (LDF) for the local panchayat elections of 2005 and had some success.

However, for the Kerala Assembly elections of 2006, DIC(K) made a pact with UDF as LDF declined to make any electoral arrangements with DIC(K). DIC(K) contested in 17 constituencies but managed to get elected only from one seat mostly because of grassroots level cross-voting by Congress. Muralidharan lost the election in Koduvally constituency to P.T.A. Rahim.

With the future of the DIC(K) party untenable, some party members of the DIC(K) returned to the Congress party whilst others, including Karunakaran and Muraleedharan, decided instead to join the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Later, Karunakaran rejoined the Congress party, while his son Muraleedharan opted to stay with the NCP, decrying his father's "betrayal". [8] Muraleedharan contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from the Wayanad constituency under the NCP ticket, but came only in third place, behind the Congress party and the CPI. [9]

In August 2009, he was expelled from the NCP and sacked as state chief of the party, as he openly expressed his desire to rejoin the Congress party. [10] He was subsequently refused re-entry into the Congress party, the party leadership stating that the disparaging comments he had made about the party leadership whilst in opposition were too big a barrier to his re-joining. [10] [11] Muraleedharan pledged that he would "wait for any length of time" for the party to change its mind and readmit him, while his father Karunakaran stated that he would take up the matter with the national leadership of the Congress party, if necessary. [10] He was readmitted to the Congress party in February 2011, after his father died, and was given a ticket to contest the Assembly election from the Vattiyurkavu Assembly constituency (former Thiruvananthapuram North Constituency). Subsequently, he won his first assembly election after he defeated ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) supported independent candidate Cherian Philip by a margin of over 16,167 votes on 14 May 2011. [12] He was re-elected for the second time in 2016 defeating Kummanam Rajasekharan of Bharatiya Janata Party by a margin of 7622 votes.

In Indian general election 2019 he has been elected from Vatakara with a tremendous margin by defeating P. Jayarajan of Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a margin of 84663 votes.

In Indian general election 2024 he was a candidate of Indian National Congress party from Thrissur Constituency. [13] [14]

Election candidature history
ElectionYearPartyConstituencyOpponentResultMargin
Loksabha 1989 INC Kozhikode CPI(M) E. K. Imbichi Bava Won28,957
1991 INC Kozhikode JD(S) M.P. Veerendra Kumar Won15,884
1996 INC Kozhikode JD(S) M.P. Veerendra Kumar Lost38,703
1998 INC Thrissur CPI V. V. Raghavan Lost18,409
1999 INC Kozhikode JD(S) C. M. Ibrahim Won50,402
2009 NCP Wayanad INC M. I. Shanavas Lost311,040
2019 INC Vatakara CPI(M) P. Jayarajan Won84,663
2024 INC Thrissur BJP Suresh Gopi Lost84,214
Kerala Legislative Assembly 2004 (By-election) INC Wadakkanchery CPI(M) A. C. Moideen Lost3,715
2006 DIC Koduvally CPI(M) P. T. A. Rahim Lost7,506
2011 INC Vattiyoorkavu Independent Cheriyan Phillip Won16,167
2016 INC Vattiyoorkavu BJP Kummanam Rajasekharan Won7,622
2021 INC Nemom CPI(M) V. Sivankutty Lost19,313

Positions held

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. Karunakaran</span> Indian politician and former Chief Minister of Kerala

Kannoth Karunakaran was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of Kerala in 1977, from 1981 to March 1982, from May 1982 to 1987 and from 1991 to 1995. He is the founder of the Indian National Congress (INC)-led United Democratic Front (UDF) coalition, which governed the state in the periods of 1982-87, 1991-96, 2001-06 and 2011-16; and currently is the main opposition in Kerala since 2016. He has also served as the Union Minister of Industry from 1995 to 1996 and served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly for four terms- 1967 to 1969, 1978 to 1979, 1980 to 1981 and 1987 to 1991. He also has the distinction of being one of the longest serving Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leaders in the country, holding that post from 1967 to 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. K. Antony</span> 23rd Defence Minister Of India And Former Chief Minister of Kerala

Arackaparambil Kurien Antony is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Defence of India from 2006 to 2014, making him the longest serving Defence Minister in India. He previously served as the 6th Chief Minister of Kerala from 1977 to 1978, 1995 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2004. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee of the All India Congress Committee, Congress Working Committee, and member of the Congress Core Group and Central Election Committee.

Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran) (DIC(K)) was a political party in Kerala, India. DIC(K) was founded at a meeting in Thrissur by the K. Karunakuran faction of the Indian National Congress on 1 May 2005. Initially it was called National Congress (Indira), but the name was changed DIC(K) for registration purposes in August of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerala Congress (Jacob)</span> Indian political party

Kerala Congress (Jacob) is a regional political party in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a faction of Kerala Congress founded by the former minister the late T. M. Jacob who has held portfolios like Education, Irrigation, Culture and Civil Supplies in the Kerala Legislative Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramesh Chennithala</span> Indian politician (born 1956)

Ramesh Chennithala,, , is an Indian politician, and a permanent invitee to Working Committee of the Indian National Congress. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly. He also served as the state Home Minister in the Government of Kerala for two years. He holds the record of the youngest minister in Kerala at the age of 28.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. M. Sudheeran</span> Indian politician (born 1948)

V. M. Sudheeran is an Indian politician, who was a former President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), former Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, Health Minister of Kerala, and a prominent political leader in Kerala. He was a member of the 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabha representing Alappuzha each time and a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 1996 representing Manalur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. K. Raghavan</span> Indian politician (born 1952)

M. K. Raghavan is an Indian Politician. He is a Member of Lok Sabha and a Secretary of Congress Parliamentary Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. C. Chacko</span> Indian politician (born 1946)

P. C. Chacko is a former Member of Parliament from Thrissur Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. He is a former member of the Indian National Congress. Chacko resigned from Indian National Congress on 10 March 2021, stating that it had become difficult to be a congress leader in Kerala. P.C. Chacko is the first president of Thiruvananthapuram District committee of Kerala Students Union. He was the State president of Indian youth Congress from 1970 to 1973 and held the post of national General secretary of Indian youth Congress during 1973 - 1975. He became the general secretary of KPCC in 1975 and continued till 1979. He was elected to the Kerala Assembly in 1980 from Piravom constituency and during 1980- 81 he served as Minister for Industries in the state cabinet. He was elected to Loksabha in 1991 from Thrissur, in 1996 from Mukundapuram, in 1998 from Idukki and in 2009 again from Thrissur. On 2021 March 16 he joined Nationalist Congress Party, which is an ally of LDF in Kerala. He was appointed President of the Kerala State Unit of Nationalist Congress Party by the National President Sri. Sharad Pawar on 19 May 2021.

Pulikkal Poulose George (1935–2008), was an Indian National Congress politician from Thrissur and Member of the Legislative Assembly from Chalakudy in 1965, 1967 and 1970, from Thiruvambady in 1987 and from Ollur in 1991 and 2001. He was the Agriculture Minister in 1991 Ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. K. Kunhalikutty</span> Indian politician (born 1990)

P. K. Kunhalikutty is an Indian politician and social worker who is the present Member of Legislative Assembly from Vengara Assembly Constituency in Kerala. He also serves as National General Secretary of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Deputy Leader of opposition in Kerala Leglative Assembly.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Thrissur is the chief bishop and principal leader of the nearly half a million Syro Malabar Catholics now used to be the largest catholic diocese in India, when it included the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur, Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Irinjalakuda, Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Palghat and Syro-Malabar Catholic Diocese of Ramanathapuram. He is also the Archbishop of Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. The title is more powerful as he is the custodian of St. Thomas Church (Palayur), where Christianity came to Indian sub-continent, and have two blessed people, Maria Theresa Chiramel and Euphrasia Eluvathingal in the Archdiocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Revolutionary Marxist Party</span> Indian political party

The Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) was a political party in Kerala, India. It was founded by T. P. Chandrasekharan. It claims to uphold real communist ideologies and maintain internal democracy. It was found after T.P. Chandrasekharan, an ex-CPI (M) leader, was expelled from his party in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. Muraleedharan</span> Indian politician (born 1958)

Vellamvelly Muraleedharan is an Indian politician from Kerala who served as Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India from 2019 to 2024. He was the eighth State President of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kerala. He was also a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. He was sworn in as a Union Minister on 30 May 2019. On 12 June 2019, Muraleedharan was appointed Government Deputy Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha.

Kozhikode District has four types of administrative hierarchies:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political divisions of Wayanad</span>

Wayanad District has four types of administrative hierarchies:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. K. Prasanth</span> Indian politician

V. K. Prasanth is an Indian politician belonging to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was born and raised at Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram. In 2015, aged 34, he was elected to the Kazhakoottam ward of the city, with a margin of 3,272 votes, the highest majority secured by a candidate in the corporation's history. He went on to become the 44th mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, the largest corporation and capital of Kerala.

T. Siddique is an Indian politician and as of 2021 was one of the three Working Presidents of Kerala PCC and a member of the Indian National Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency</span> Constituency of the Kerala legislative assembly in India

Vattiyoorkavu State assembly constituency is one of the 140 state legislative assembly constituencies in Kerala. It is also one of the 7 state legislative assembly constituencies included in the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency. As of the 2021 assembly elections, the current MLA is V. K. Prasanth of CPI(M).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuttiady Assembly constituency</span> Constituency of the Kerala legislative assembly in India

Kuttiady State assembly constituency is one of the 140 state legislative assembly constituencies in Kerala state in southern India. It is also one of the 7 state legislative assembly constituencies included in the Vatakara Lok Sabha constituency. As of the 2021 assembly elections, the current MLA is K. P. Kunhammed Kutti of CPI (M).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elathur Assembly constituency</span> Constituency of the Kerala legislative assembly in India

Elathur State assembly constituency is one of the 140 state legislative assembly constituencies in Kerala state in southern India. It is also one of the 7 state legislative assembly constituencies included in the Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency. As of the 2021 assembly election, the current MLA is A. K. Saseendran of Nationalist Congress Party.

References

  1. "Ramesh Chennithala appointed KPCC campaign committee chairman".
  2. 1 2 Kerala Legislative Assembly: Member profile
  3. "13th Lok Sabha: Member Profiles". Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
  4. "പത്മജയെ ഞാന്‍ എതിര്‍ത്തിരുന്നു - Page 3 | mangalam.com". www.mangalam.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  5. IBN Candidate profile: K Muraleedharan
  6. Muraleedharan sworn in Minister [usurped] The Hindu, 12 February 2004
  7. "Kerala Government: Council of Ministers (Cabinet) 2001-2006".
  8. Return of Leader [usurped] Frontline, 19 January 2008
  9. "Indian Parliament Election Results 2009 (Lok Sabha polls 2009)- Kerala".
  10. 1 2 3 Kerala leader K Muraleedharan refused re-entry into CongressNew Kerala/IANS, 7 August 2009
  11. "Muraleedharan meets Antony", The Hindu , 21 November 2009
  12. "Triangular fight in Vattiyoorkavu segment". India Today. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. Raghunath, Arjun. "LS polls 2024: Congress' surprise move to field Muraleedharan at Thrissur creates panic in BJP camp". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  14. Bureau, The Hindu (9 March 2024). "K. Muraleedharan reaches Thrissur, takes out roadshow". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 26 March 2024.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)