V. M. Sudheeran is an Indian politician and former President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. He is an esteemed politician from Kerala and was a member of the 6th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Lok Sabha.
Wiki/Biography
V. M. Sudheeran was born on Wednesday, 26 May 1948 (aged 74 years; as of 2022) in Padiyam, a small village in Thrissur, Kerala. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree. He started his political career as a member of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the students’ wing of the Indian National Congress in the state.
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Sudheeran hails from a Malayali family in Thrissur, Kerala.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name was Vylopally Sankaran Mama, and his mother’s name was Girija.
Wife & Children
Sudheeran is married to Latha, a retired bank employee-turned-green entrepreneur. They have a son, Sarin Sudheeran, and a daughter, Salila.
Caste
Sudheeran belongs to the Ezhava community.
Address
GRA 777, Goureesapattam, Pattam Palace P.O., Thiruvananthapuram-4
Career
Politics
Sudheeran made his entry into politics as a KSU member, he was appointed as the President of the Kerala Students Union in 1971; he served as the President of KSU during 1971-1973. In 1975, Sudheeran was appointed as President of the Kerala State Youth Congress and served till 1977. He was influential in denying party tickets to many tainted people in the 2016 Kerala assembly elections; he stood firmly and opposed the reopening of more than 700 closed Indian Made Foreign Liquor bars that had been closed down during the Oommen Chandy cabinet. Sudheeran quit the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) on 25 September 2021, and two days later announced his resignation from the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Some reports suggest that Sudheeran quit the two high-powered decision-making bodies of the Congress party was his protest over the lack of consultation in the KPCC. Sudheeran had to face strong criticism from within the Congress party, for his inflexible stance on the liquor policy. Sudheeeran was accused by the leaders, that his stance triggered the bar bribery case crisis that resulted in the annihilation of the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Sudheeran with party workers at Indira Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)
V. M. Sudheeran won his debut State Legislative Assembly election in 1980; he contested from the Manalur State assembly constituency in the Thrissur district in Kerala. He was the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), representing the Manalur assembly constituency between 1980 and 1996; winning all the Legislative Assembly elections during that period. Sudheeran was appointed as the 12th Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 8 March 1985; he served as the Speaker of the Assembly between 8 March 1985 to 27 March 1987. He was appointed as the Health Minister of the State on 20 April 1995, under the A K Antony Ministry; however, he resigned from the position on 09 May 1996, as he was nominated by the Indian National Congress to participate in the 1996 Indian general election.
Member of the Parliament (MP)
Sudheeran contested his first general election in 1977; he was the Indian National Congress candidate representing the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency. He secured his debut victory and became a member of the 6th Lok Sabha. Sudheeran then contested in the general elections in 1996, where he again emerged victorious. He was able to retain his MP seat from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency during the 1998 and 1999 Indian general elections; he defeated the famous Malayalam actor and Communist Paty of India (Marxist)’s candidate, Murali, in the 1999 Indian general election by a large margin. He unsuccessfully contested in the 2004 Indian general elections from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, against the CPI(M)’s K. S. Manoj. Sudheeran refused to contest in the 2009 general elections, he received strong pressure from the Party leadership and the party workers, however, he insisted that it was time for him to make way for the young politicians.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee
V. M. Sudheeran was appointed as the President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on 10 February 2014. Sudheeran was appointed by the party’s high command as a game-changer of sorts for the party, ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections; he acted as a corrective force within the Congress party and had wide acceptability in the civil society. Sudheeran’s confrontationist approach towards certain issues handled by the then State government, led by Congress veteran leader Oommen Chandy, procured detractors within the party. The then Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy, and the then Home Minister of Kerala Ramesh Chennithala, were not in agreement with the AICC’s decision to appoint Sudheeran as the KPCC President; Sudheeran strongly opposed factional politics and the senior leaders belonging to the Congress A group and the Congress I group feared that his appointment was to be an antidote to the growing factionalism. Some reports suggest that Oommen Chandy, and Ramesh Chennithala, had proposed the then-Speaker, the late G. Karthikeyan, to the party’s high command to be appointed as the new KPCC President; however, the party leadership decided to appoint Sudheeran, with the conviction that his popularity among the public as a corruption-free politician, would help them in the 2014 Indian general elections. Since his appointment, Sudheeran was under criticism from both the Congress A group, and the Congress I group, for his style of functioning; Sudheeran was not a member of the Congress A group, or the Congress I group, and he often lashed out at the leaders of the groups for their attempts to weaken the unity of the party. Sudheeran resigned from his position as the President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee on 10 March 2017, citing ill health. In an interview, Sudheeran, told, he stepped down as the KPCC President due to personal inconvenience and that the party’s interests are of paramount importance; he added that his difficulties should not affect the party’s work.
V. M. Sudheeran with the Periya murder victim’s family
Assets & Properties
Movable Assets
- Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions, and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs. 9590
- Bonds, Debentures and Shares in companies: Rs. 1000
- NSS, Postal Savings etc: Rs. 70,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2004. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor).
Facts/Trivia
- V. M. Sudheeran was the Chairman of the Committee on Estimates of the Kerala Legislature between 1982 and 1984.
- He was a member of the Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions during 1984 – 1985.
- V. M. Sudheeran rejected the neo-liberal economic policies of Congress and demanded a return to Nehruvian socialism.