Pinarayi Vijayan
Pinarayi Vijayan (Kerala Chief Minister) was born on May 24, 1945, in the village of Pinarayi in Kannur district, Kerala. He was the youngest of 14 siblings, of whom only three survived. Despite facing poverty and hardship, Vijayan excelled in his studies and obtained a BA in Economics from Brennen College, Thalassery. His family belonged to the Ezhava community, a historically marginalized group in Kerala.
Family Background of Pinarayi Vijayan
- Father: Maroli Koran, who hailed from Pinarayi village in the Kannur district of Kerala. He was a traditional healer and farmer. He unfortunately passed away when Pinarayi was young, causing the family significant hardship.
- Mother: Alakkatt Kalyani, a strong and determined woman who raised the surviving children after her husband’s death. She instilled in Pinarayi the values of hard work and resilience.
- Pinarayi Vijayan’s wife: Kamala Vijayan, is a retired teacher. They have been married for over 50 years and have two children together: a daughter, Veena Vijayan, and a son, Vivek Kiran Vijayan.
- Pinarayi Vijayan daughter: Veena Vijayan, is a doctor who runs her own clinic in Kerala. She is married and has two children.
- Pinarayi Vijayan son: Vivek Kiran Vijayan, is a businessman who lives in the United States. He is married and has one child.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan: Political Career
- Pinarayi Vijayan’s political activism began at a young age when he joined the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), the student wing of the CPI(M). He quickly rose through the ranks of the KSF and became its state president in 1968.
Electoral victories
- Pinarayi Vijayan’s first electoral victory came in 1970 when he was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from the Kuthuparamba constituency. He went on to win four more elections from the same constituency, increasing his majority each time.
Minister of Electricity and Co-operatives:-
- In 1996, Vijayan served as the Minister of Electricity and Co-operatives in the Kerala government led by E.K. Nayanar. His tenure was marked by significant initiatives in the power sector, including the decentralization of power generation and distribution.
- Chief Minister of Kerala: In 2016, Vijayan led the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) to a landslide victory in the Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Kerala on May 25, 2016.
Awards and achievement of Pinarayi Vijayan
- Gandhi Darshan Award for Best Chief Minister in 2018.
- Special Award from Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for Innovations in Public Policy.
- Kerala State Film Awards.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan: Properties and Assets
Official Sources:
- Election Affidavits: As per his 2021 election affidavit submitted to MyNeta, Vijayan declared the following:
- Agricultural Land: Rs. 51,60,000
- Residential Buildings: Rs. 35,35,000
- Movable Assets: Rs. 47,26,091 (including a car, LIC policy)
- Income Tax Returns: These are not publicly available documents, but details might emerge via investigative journalism or official inquiries.
Criminal case on Pinarayi Vijayan
- Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, has been associated with one major criminal case in his past:
- The Vadikkal Ramakrishnan murder case (1969):
- This was Kerala’s first political murder case, in which RSS activist Vadikkal Ramakrishnan was killed in Kannur district.
- Vijayan was named as one of the prime accused in the case by the police, along with another CPI(M) leader.
- He vehemently denied any involvement and the trial, which lasted several years, ultimately resulted in an acquittal for all the accused due to lack of evidence.
- However, the case remains a point of contention and is often raised by his political opponents, who portray it as evidence of his violent past.