Early life and education
Pinarayi Vijayan – the name that echoes in the minds of Keralites as a beacon of resoluteness, unflinching persistence and ingenuity. ‘Comrade Pinarayi’ as he is fondly and respectfully called across the State, Pinarayi Vijayan was born in 1944 as the 14th son of Mundayil Koran and Kalyani in the village of Pinarayi in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. His childhood passed in dire poverty, also grieved by the early death of his father. This forced him to discontinue his studies after completing formal school education.
Vijayan then took up handloom weaving job for a while before being able to join pre-university course in the famous Brennen College in Thalassery.
Political career
Subesequently, he completed B.A. in Economics from the same college. All this while, he was active in student politics and began his political saga as a member of the Kerala Students Federation (KSF), which later became the Student’sFederation of India (SFI). Com. Pinarayi, in his years as one of the leading student politicians in the region, served as the President and the Secretary of the KSF. He also served as the President of the Kerala Socialist Youth Federation (KSYF). He participated in various struggles and student/youth movements with welfare and progress in focus.
Com. Pinarayi was then chosen as a member of the Kannur District Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) at a very young age of 24. He was elected to the District Secretariat when he was 28 and quickly rose in party ranks and people’s minds as the man they would look up to in the future. He became a Member of the State Secretariat in 1988. He contested to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1970 from Kuthuparamba and won the election. He repeated the feat in 1977, 1991, 1996 and 2016, every time increasing his majority significantly. As a Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, he stood up for the rights of the people and the privileges of the downtrodden sections of the society. He raised his voice against the atrocities of the Central Government during the infamous National Emergency (1975 – 77), which led to him being arrested and tortured heavily. No beatings could have wounded the morale of the brave comrade as he returned to the people’s business soon-after and continued raising his voice for the masses.
In the 1996 E.K. Nayanar Ministry, Pinarayi Vijayan was selected as the Minister for Electricity and Co-operation. Under his adept leadership, the State, within a very quick time made a huge progress in the generation and distribution of electricity and took a massive leap towards self-sufficiency. Still credited as one of the best electricity ministers Kerala has ever seen, Com. Pinarayi left the ministry to take up the leadership of the CPI(M) in Kerala as its State Secretary in 1998. His pro-active leadership saw the base of the party strengthening up in the State. His profound understanding of the socio-political affairs of the people, combined with his amazing organising and managerial skills made him very popular within the party and among those who admired the CPI(M). In 2002, Com. Pinarayi was elected in to the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M), a distinction he holds to this day. He led the party to a thrilling landslide victory in the 2014 Parliament elections and the 2006 Kerala Assembly Elections.
His big assignment came in 2016 when he was elected as the 12th Chief Minister of Kerala. By putting forth a people-centric approach of development, Pinarayi Vijayan ably supported by his brilliant cabinet colleagues, put Kerala back in the long road to recovery and growth. His vision for the overall growth of Kerala has been well appreciated by people and organisations across the world. His love for his people and the warm care he assures them has made Pinarayi Vijayan not just a model communist, but a model human being for all to emulate.
Positions held
Pinarayi Vijayan has held leadership positions since his days in student politics. He has played a crucial role in the growth of the communist movement in Kerala. He also has served as a member of the legislative assembly several times and held ministerial positions as well.
- State president and secretary of Kerala Student’s Federation and president of Kerala State Youth Federation.
- President of Kerala State Co-operative Ban
Elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, 1977, 1991, 1996 and 2016. - Minister in Kerala government between 1996 and 1998.
- Secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) between 1998 and 2015.
- Member of the CPI(M) politburo from 2002.
- Chief Minister of Kerala from 25 May 2016
