Who Is Ramesh Chennithala, Congress Veteran Contesting From Kerala's Haripad

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala will contest the Kerala Assembly elections from the Haripad seat. The former Kerala home minister has been associated with the party since his student days. 

In an interview with NDTV, Chennithala said the Congress was "the most vibrant political party in the country" because it represented people from all sections of society. 

Kerala votes on April 9. Results will be out on May 4.

Who is Ramesh Chennithala? 

Born on May 25, 1956, in Chennithala, Alappuzha, he studied at Mahatma High School. He has a bachelor's degree in Economics from NSS Hindu College, Changanassery, and an LLB from Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. 

Chennithala began his political journey in 1970 as a leader in the Kerala Students Union (KSU). In 1982, he became the All India President of the National Students Union of India and, in the same year, was elected as an MLA from Haripad. 

In 1985, he was appointed general secretary of the Indian Youth Congress. A year later, at just 28, he became Minister for Rural Development in the government led by K Karunakaran. He was one of the youngest ministers in the state. 

He was re-elected as MLA from Haripad in 1987. In 1989, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Kottayam and went on to win multiple elections in the 1990s. He lost the 2004 Lok Sabha election to CPM leader C S Sujatha. 

In 2005, he returned to state politics and took charge as president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. He served as Home Minister in the Oommen Chandy government from 2014 to 2016. 

Chennithala has criticised the Kerala government's Public Relations Department (PRD) for publishing ads in newspapers, highlighting the alleged failures of the previous Oommen Chandy government. 

He said these ads were misleading because they ignored the good work and only spread misinformation. According to him, spending public money on such ads is a misuse of power and an unnecessary expense. 

Chennithala also accused the PRD of using taxpayers' money to indirectly support the ruling party, the CPM and the Left Democratic Front, ahead of elections.