Rahul Mamkootathil

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Rahul Mamkootathil
Rahul Mamkootathil.jpg
Mamkootathil in March 2023
Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
4 December 2024

Rahul B. R., better known as Rahul Mamkootathil is an Indian politician from Kerala, who is serving as the current Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from the Palakkad constituency. He is a member of the Indian National Congress. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Rahul studied at Thapovan Public School in Adoor and at St. John's School in Pandalam. He did his B.A. degree in History from the Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta. He then completed his postgraduate degrees in English from IGNOU and in History from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at MGU, Kottayam. [4]

Political career

Rahul began his political career in 2006 as a member of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) while pursuing his undergraduate studies at Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta. In 2007, he was elected president of KSU's Adoor constituency and also assumed the role of president for the Indian Youth Congress in the Peringanadu mandalam committee. Over the years, he held several leadership positions, including university counselor, Pathanamthitta district president of KSU, and national secretary of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI). He also served as KSU state general secretary, Youth Congress state general secretary, and Youth Congress state secretary, in addition to being a member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). In 2023, Rahul was elected as the state president of the Indian Youth Congress, Kerala. [4]

In the November 2024 by-election to the Palakkad constituency, Rahul, representing the Indian National Congress (INC) was elected as the Member to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He won by a margin of 18,840 votes over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Personal life

In addition to his political career, Rahul is also engaged in various business ventures. He owns a men's beauty parlour and holds partnerships in a medical shop and a children's clothing store. He also runs a Milma agency. [1]

Controversies

On 21 August 2025, Kerala Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil resigned as president of the state Youth Congress after Malayalam actor Rini Ann George alleged that a "young politician" had sent her obscene messages and invited her to a hotel; although she did not name him, news coverage connected the allegation to Mamkootathil, who denied wrongdoing and remained MLA for Palakkad. [9] In subsequent coverage, transgender activist Avanthika Vishnu alleged that Mamkootathil shared "rape fantasies" with her and told her he "wanted to rape" her. [10] [11] Media also reported the circulation of an audio clip purported to feature him urging a woman to terminate a pregnancy; he disputed its authenticity, and Kochi Police said they were seeking legal opinion on a complaint based on the clip. [12] [13] The Congress announced an internal inquiry but, amid calls from rivals for his ouster, did not ask him to vacate his Assembly seat. [14] [15]

References

  1. 1 2 Onmanorama (31 October 2024). "Former HSBC techie, doc-turned-IAAS and St Stephen's alumnus add glitter to Kerala's bypolls". Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  2. "Kerala bypoll results 2024: UDF cadre celebrate Palakkad win with trolleys". The Hindu. 23 November 2024. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  3. The News Minute (23 November 2024). "Palakkad bye-poll: Congress' Rahul Mamkootathil wins with historic margin of 18,840". Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  4. 1 2 "അച്ഛന്റെ ഖദറിട്ട് കോൺഗ്രസായി, പത്തനംതിട്ടയിൽ നിന്ന് പാലക്കാട് വഴി നിയമസഭയിലേക്ക്". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 23 November 2024. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
  5. Election Commission of India (23 November 2024). "Palakkad Assembly Constituency By Poll Result 2024". Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  6. The Hindu (23 November 2024). "Palakkad Assembly bypoll: UDF's Rahul Mamkootathil sets record victory". Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  7. Onmanorama (23 November 2024). "Shafi successor Rahul Mamkootathil sets record in Palakkad with over 18k margin". Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  8. CNBCTV18 (23 November 2024). "Bypoll Election Full Winners List 2024: Check state-wise winners". Archived from the original on 25 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. "Day after actor Rini Ann George alleged politician invited her to hotel room, Rahul Mamkootathil, rising star of Kerala Congress, quits post". The Indian Express. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  10. "'Kerala Congress MLA Messaged Me On Telegram, Asked For Sex': Trans Woman". NDTV. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  11. "'He said he wants to rape me': Kerala Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil faces fresh allegations". Mint. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  12. "Why Congress leadership pushed for Rahul Mamkootathil's resignation". The News Minute. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  13. "'Forced woman to abort': Why Kerala Police has not acted on complaint against Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil". Mathrubhumi (English). 22 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  14. "Rahul Mamkootathil—Congress's young popular face in eye of a storm amid sexual misconduct backlash". ThePrint. 22 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  15. "Rahul Mamkootathil misconduct allegations: Sensing trouble, Congress acts swiftly". The Times of India. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.