Veteran Kerala Congress leader and former Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman dies at 96

The veteran leader was elected to the Kerala Assembly five times from Attingal assembly constituency and became a minister thrice

Updated on: Jul 31, 2023, 15:50:43 IST

By Vishnu Varma

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Veteran Congress leader and former Mizoram Governor Vakkom Purushothaman passed away at his residence in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday following age-related illnesses. He was 96.

Purushothaman, who was born in the village of Vakkom in Thiruvananthapuram district on 12 April 1928, was a towering leader of the Congress in Kerala and played an instrumental role in the growth of the party. He was considered a ‘guru’ to the current leadership of the party.

The veteran leader was elected to the Kerala Assembly five times from Attingal assembly constituency and became a minister thrice, handling portfolios like agriculture, health and tourism. He was the longest-served Speaker of the Kerala assembly, from 1982 to 1984 and again from 2001 to 2004.

He was also elected twice to the Lok Sabha from Alappuzha constituency and served from 1984 to 1991.

Purushothaman served as the 6th Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 1993 to 1996, the Governor of Mizoram from 2011 to 2014 and Governor of Tripura for two months in 2014.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishnu Varma
Vishnu Varma is Assistant Editor and reports from Kerala for the Hindustan Times. He has 10 years of experience writing for print and digital platforms and has worked at The New York Times, NDTV and The Indian Express in the past. He specialises in longform reportage at the intersections of politics, crime, social commentary and environment.Read More

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