K.C. Venugopal
Encyclopedia
K.C. Venugopalis an India
n politician and Union Minister of State for Power in Indian Government. He is the Member of Parliament
of Alappuzha
Lok Sabha
Constituency.
. He became the State President of the Kerala Students Union
and State President of the Indian Youth Congress
, He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly
from Alappuzha
Constituency in 1996,2001 and 2006. He served as the Minister
for Dewaswom and Tourism
in the Oommen Chandy
Ministry from 2004-06. He Contested to the General Elections to Loksabha from Alappuzha
Constituency in 2009 and won with a good margin. Venugopal was recommended by the NSS
as the Nair
community's representative in the Union Ministry, though it eventually went to Shashi Tharoor
. Later in January 2011, his name was included in the list of Ministers for State in Union Cabinet and presently he is serving as minister of state for power.
For Mr. Venugopal, Kannur
has not been his political gravitational field ever since he politically relocated himself to Alappuzha following his election victory from the Alappuzha Assembly constituency in 1996. His success in the two Assembly elections in 2001 and 2006 and his election to the Lok Sabha in the 2009 Parliament election have only completed the process of his political expatriation.
However, he always kept in touch with his home district. The 48-year-old Congress leader, who served as Minister for Tourism and Devaswom in the United Democratic Front (UDF) government during 2004-06, began his political career when he was a student of the Payyanur
College.
Since then he has been on a right trajectory of political career in his party. From being a president of the Payyanur
College unit of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) to his induction in the Union Cabinet, it was a long journey for a leader of his age. In between he served as State president of the KSU (1987–92) and the Youth Congress (1992–2000), among others.
A post-graduate in mathematics, Mr. Venugopal owes his rapid political evolution to the late leader K. Karunakaran. His loyalty to the leader when the latter was at the helm of Congress affairs in the State helped him step on the political ladder without much ado. Mr. Venugopal was also a volleyball player during his college days. He played for the Payyanur
College and the Calicut University.
Mr. Venugopal's supporters say that though he has moved to Alappuzha, he took personal interest in various tourism projects in his home district when he was Tourism Minister. The Town Square, the renovated Gandhi Park at Payyanur
, approval of the proposals for development of beaches in the district and the eco-tourism project for Paithalmala are some among them, they say.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n politician and Union Minister of State for Power in Indian Government. He is the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of Alappuzha
Alappuzha (Lok Sabha constituency)
Alappuzha is a Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala. This constituency was earlier known as Alleppey.-Assembly segments:Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:#Aroor#Cherthala#Alappuzha#Ambalapuzha#Haripad#Kayamkulam...
Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...
Constituency.
Personal life
He was born on February 4, 1963 to Kunjukrishnan Nambi and Janaki Amma in Kannur District of Kerala.Political life
He came to active politics through the Student Movement of the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. He became the State President of the Kerala Students Union
Kerala Students Union
Kerala Students Union is the Kerala branch of the National Students Union of India, the student wing of the Indian National Congress. KSU was founded on May 30, 1957 in Alappuzha.-About KSU:...
and State President of the Indian Youth Congress
Indian Youth Congress
The Indian Youth Congress is the youth wing of the Indian National Congress party. As of 2006, the Indian Youth Congress has over 245,00,000 members across India, the largest democratic youth organisation in the world....
, He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly
Kerala Legislative Assembly
The Kerala Legislative Assembly more popularly known as Niyamasabha , is the law making body of Kerala, one of the 28 States in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives and one nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community...
from Alappuzha
Alappuzha
Alappuzha , also known as Alleppey, is a town in Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. As per 2001 census Alleppey is the sixth largest city in Kerala with an urban population of 177,029. Alleppey is situated to the south of Kochi and north of Trivandrum...
Constituency in 1996,2001 and 2006. He served as the Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
for Dewaswom and Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in the Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Kerala. He has held the Chief Minister of Kerala position earlier from 2004 to 2006, and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.-Early life:Oommen Chandy or 'Kunjoonju' was born...
Ministry from 2004-06. He Contested to the General Elections to Loksabha from Alappuzha
Alappuzha (Lok Sabha constituency)
Alappuzha is a Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala. This constituency was earlier known as Alleppey.-Assembly segments:Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:#Aroor#Cherthala#Alappuzha#Ambalapuzha#Haripad#Kayamkulam...
Constituency in 2009 and won with a good margin. Venugopal was recommended by the NSS
Nair Service Society
The Nair Service Society is an organization created for the uplift and welfare of the Nair community. It was established under the leadership of Mannathu Padmanabhan...
as the Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
community's representative in the Union Ministry, though it eventually went to Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor
Shashi Tharoor is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in Kerala...
. Later in January 2011, his name was included in the list of Ministers for State in Union Cabinet and presently he is serving as minister of state for power.
For Mr. Venugopal, Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
has not been his political gravitational field ever since he politically relocated himself to Alappuzha following his election victory from the Alappuzha Assembly constituency in 1996. His success in the two Assembly elections in 2001 and 2006 and his election to the Lok Sabha in the 2009 Parliament election have only completed the process of his political expatriation.
However, he always kept in touch with his home district. The 48-year-old Congress leader, who served as Minister for Tourism and Devaswom in the United Democratic Front (UDF) government during 2004-06, began his political career when he was a student of the Payyanur
Payyanur
Payyanur is a Municipal Town situated at the northern end of Kannur district in North Malabar region of Kerala, India. This Municipality consists of three administrative villages viz. Vellur, Korom and Payyannur. Other villages are; Annur and Kokkanissery....
College.
Since then he has been on a right trajectory of political career in his party. From being a president of the Payyanur
Payyanur
Payyanur is a Municipal Town situated at the northern end of Kannur district in North Malabar region of Kerala, India. This Municipality consists of three administrative villages viz. Vellur, Korom and Payyannur. Other villages are; Annur and Kokkanissery....
College unit of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) to his induction in the Union Cabinet, it was a long journey for a leader of his age. In between he served as State president of the KSU (1987–92) and the Youth Congress (1992–2000), among others.
A post-graduate in mathematics, Mr. Venugopal owes his rapid political evolution to the late leader K. Karunakaran. His loyalty to the leader when the latter was at the helm of Congress affairs in the State helped him step on the political ladder without much ado. Mr. Venugopal was also a volleyball player during his college days. He played for the Payyanur
Payyanur
Payyanur is a Municipal Town situated at the northern end of Kannur district in North Malabar region of Kerala, India. This Municipality consists of three administrative villages viz. Vellur, Korom and Payyannur. Other villages are; Annur and Kokkanissery....
College and the Calicut University.
Mr. Venugopal's supporters say that though he has moved to Alappuzha, he took personal interest in various tourism projects in his home district when he was Tourism Minister. The Town Square, the renovated Gandhi Park at Payyanur
Payyanur
Payyanur is a Municipal Town situated at the northern end of Kannur district in North Malabar region of Kerala, India. This Municipality consists of three administrative villages viz. Vellur, Korom and Payyannur. Other villages are; Annur and Kokkanissery....
, approval of the proposals for development of beaches in the district and the eco-tourism project for Paithalmala are some among them, they say.