Pinarayi Vijayan

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Pinarayi Vijayan is an influential communist politician and a former minister of Kerala, South India. He was born on 21st March 1944 in Pinarayi in Kannur district. Currently he is the Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM) and a Politburo member. He is considered to be the man who played a vital role in the Left Democratic Front's recent victory in the state. Pinarayi Vijayan entered politics through student union activities and eventually joined the Communist Party in 1964. He was the President and Secretary of the Kerala Student's Federation (KSF) and also served as the President of Kerala State Youth Federation (KSYF). During that period, when communists in Kerala were organising the political activities from different hide-outs, Pinarayi Vijayan was imprisoned for one and half years. Late he was elected the President of the Kerala State co-operative Bank. 1970 witnessed his entry in to the Kerala Legislative Assembly. He was re-elected in 1977, 1991 and 1996. He was the Minister for Electric power and Co-operatives in the E.K. Nayanar ministry from 1996 to 1998. In 1998 after the demise of the CPI(M) state secretary Chadayan Govindan, Pinarayi Vijayan resigned from the ministry and took charge of the party. He was elected to the Polit Bureau of CPI(M) in 2002.As a reformist in the south Indian CPI(M), he is facing challenges from inside and outside the party.He is married and has two children.

[edit] Positions held

He was detained during Emergency in Jail where he endured police brutalities.
Was the State President and Secretary of Kerala Student's Federation and President of Kerala State Youth Federation.
Served as President of Kerala State Co-operative Bank
Elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1970, 1977, 1991 and 1996.
Served as Cabinet Minister in Kerala Government between 1996 and 1998
Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) since 1998
Elected to the Polit Bureau in 2002