Pattom A. Thanu Pillai

Pattom A. Thanu Pillai (15 July 1885 - 27 July 1970) was a participant in the Indian independence movement who later served as the Chief Minister of Kerala from 22 February 1960 to 25 September 1962.

Born A. Thanu Pillai at Thiruvananthapuram, he was the son of Varadayyan and Eswari Amma.^[1] Since he came from the Pattom area of Thiruvananthapuram, he was called Pattom Thanu Pillai and was popularly referred to as just "Pattom".

After gaining his degree he worked briefly as a lawyer before abandoning that in favour of involvement in the Indian National Congress.^[1] He became leader of Congress in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.

The struggle for a responsible government in the princely state culminated in the ousting of the Diwan, Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, who left the state on 19 August 1947. Pillai was Prime Minister of Travancore (24 March 1948 to 22 October 1948).

Pillai shifted his allegiance to the Praja Socialist Party (PSP)^[1] and between 16 March 1954 and 14 February 1955 was Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin, which areas had been merged in 1949.

The State of Kerala was formed on 1 November 1956 and the first state elections held there in March 1957 and resulted in a Communist Party-led administration. Pillai was an MLA for Thiruvananthapuram II representing the PSP.

The Communist-led government subsequently collapsed as a consequence of the movement known as the Vimochana Samaram (Liberation Struggle). Elections were held in 1960 and Pillai became the second Chief Minister of Kerala, as head of a PSP-Congress coalition administration.^[1] He held that post between 22 February 1960 and 26 September 1962.

He was Governor of Punjab from 1962 until 1964, and Governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1964 to 1968.^[1]

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