Chief Ministers of Kerala


The chief minister is the real executive and is the head of a government of a state. The position of the chief minister at the state level is analogous to the position of the prime minister at the centre. He can any time recommend the governor for the dissolution of the state legislative assembly. He announces the government policies on the floor of the House. The chief ministers in Kerala from 1957 onwards are listed below.

EMS Namboodiripad (1957-59, 1967-69)

The first Chief Minister of Kerala, EMS, was born in Perinthalmanna, Elamkulam Mana, Malappuram district. He was a participant in the freedom struggle while studying in college and worked as State Congress Secretary, All India Congress Committee member, and youth leader of the Yogakshema Sabha. He was a prominent socialist Marxist theorist in Kerala. He fought against the immoralities of the Namboothiri community. In 1934, EMS formed the Congress Socialist Party. He was its All India Joint Secretary until 1940. He became a member of the Madras Legislative Assembly in 1939. Later, EMS left the Congress and joined the Communist Party's committee in 1941. On 5 April 1957, EMS became the first Communist Chief Minister of Kerala to come to power through voting. EMS was also the first Communist ruler in Asia to come to power through balloting . 

In 1959, the liberation struggle was occured against the EMS ministry. The education and agricultural laws implemented by EMS ministry irked religious leaders, landlords and anti-communist political parties. They rally under one umbrella. On July 31, the EMS government was dismissed by the center and President's rule was imposed in the state. When the Communist Party split in 1964 , he sided with the CPI(M). He served as a member of the Central Committee and Politburo of the CPI(M) (he remained a member of the PB till his death). In 1967, EMS became the Chief Minister for the second time. He was the Leader of the Opposition in 1960-64 and 1970-77 . In 1977, he became the General Secretary of the CPI(M). EMS was the longest-serving Leader of the Opposition in Kerala. He died on 19 March 1998. He is the author of several books in Malayalam and English. He has written several books such as "Keralam Malayalikalude Mathrubhumi" , "The Mahatma and the Ism" , and "Kerala: Society and Politics - An Historical Survey".

Pattom A. Thanu Pillai (1960-62)

On 15 July 1885, Pattom A. Thanupillai was born in Thiruvananthapuram to Sanskrit scholar Varadarajan and Eshwariamma. He was attracted to the political views of Mahatma Gandhi. He matriculated from Maharaja's College, Thiruvananthapuram and passed his B.A. with a gold medal. After passing his B.A., he became a teacher in a private school in Thiruvananthapuram. He also obtained a degree in law. He took up the profession of lawyer from 1917. He led the Pattom agitation by organizing lawyers against the oppression of students protesting against the Diwan rule by the rulers. He left his position as a municipal councilor to become active in the Nivarthana movement. He preached all over the country to organize the public against British rule. He was elected to the Sree Moolam Legislative Assembly in 1921 and to the Travancore Legislative Assembly from 1928 to 1932 . He was re-elected to the Sreemoolam Legislative Assembly in 1933 and 1937. He was re-elected to the Travancore Assembly in 1948. He was a member of the Thirukochi Legislative Assembly from 1949 to 1956. He became the Prime Minister in the first government of Travancore after independence. Pattom, who formed the Praja Socialist Party due to differences in the Congress, became the Chief Minister of Thirukochi in 1954. Pattom assumed office as the second Chief Minister of Kerala on 22 February 1960. He resigned from office on 25 September 1962 due to differences in the Congress-PSP alliance. Pattom later served as the Governor of Punjab and Andhra Pradesh and died on 27 July 1970 .

R.Shankar (1962-64)​

He was born on 30 April 1909 to Raman Vaidyar in a family of farmers in Puttur, Kollam district. A law graduate, Shankar was an advocate in the Kollam District Court. Later, he joined the State Congress. He was at the forefront of the Travancore State Congress agitation demanding responsible governance. He participated in the Quit India agitation and was imprisoned. In December 1944, he became the General Secretary of the SNDP. In 1948, Shankar became the President of the KPCC and a member of the Legislative Assembly. In 1954, he started the newspaper 'Dinamani'. Shankar, who became the Deputy Chief Minister in 1960, took office as the first Congress Chief Minister of Kerala in 1962. He remained as the Chief Minister until 1964. R. Shankar has proven his worth as a member of the Travancore Administrative Reforms Commission, the Thiru-Cochin Pay Commission and the Chairman of the District Administrative Reforms Commission. Died on November 6, 1972 .

C.Achutha Menon (1969-77)

Chelat Achutha Menon was born on 13 January 1913 to Achutha Menon and Lakshmikutty Amma in the Pudukkattu Mathil house in Thrissur. He completed his college education at St. Thomas College, Thrissur and Madras. He then obtained a law degree from the Thiruvananthapuram Law College. Achutha Menon, who started his professional career as an advocate in various courts in Thrissur, entered active politics in association with the State Congress and participated in the freedom struggle. Achutha Menon was in jail when he was elected to the Thiru-Cochin Assembly in 1952. Achutha Menon was elected to the Assembly in the first general election held after the formation of the state. Achutha Menon also held the charge of the Home Department for a while in that ministry. When the Communist Party split in 1964, Achutha Menon remained firmly in the CPI. When the EMS-led ministry resigned in 1969, Achutha Menon took over as the Chief Minister. However, due to differences of opinion within the ruling party, the first Achutha Menon ministry could not last long. On 4 October 1970, C. Achutha Menon became the Chief Minister again. C. Achutha Menon holds many records as a Chief Minister. He is the first person to become the Chief Minister twice in a row. He is the first Chief Minister in the history of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to complete his term. After completing his term, he remained the Chief Minister for another year and a half due to the Emergency. Achutha Menon passed away on 16 August 1991 in Thiruvananthapuram.

K. Karunakaran (1977-77, 1981-82, 1982-87, 1991-95)

He was born on July 5, 1918, in Chirakkal, Kannur, to Ravunni Marar and Kalyaniamma. He left school at a young age and entered politics through the Indian National Congress. In 1945, Karunakaran became a member of the Thrissur Municipality. Then, in 1948, he won the Cochin Assembly elections. Later, Karunakaran became a member of the Thiru-Kochi Assembly in 1949, 1952 and 1954. In 1957, he contested the first assembly elections of United Kerala but did not win. In the 1965, 1967 and 1970 elections, Karunakaran entered the assembly from Mala in Thrissur. After the Emergency, the Congress came to power in the elections held in 1977. Karunakaran, who was the leader of the party, became the Chief Minister for the first time. However, he resigned following the remarks made by the High Court in the Rajan case during the Emergency. After that, Karunakaran became the Chief Minister three more times. In 1981, 1982 and 1991. He completed his term only once. He is the first Congress Chief Minister in Kerala to complete his term. Karunakaran passed away on December 23 , 2010 .

A.K. Antony (1977-78, 1995-96, 2001-04)

Arackaparambil Kurien Antony was born on 28 December 1940 in Cherthala, Alappuzha district, to Kurian Pillai and Aleykutty. He was educated at Cherthala Government High School, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, and Law College. Antony, who served as the KSU State President and Youth Congress President, became the KPCC General Secretary in 1969. Antony first became a member of the Legislative Assembly from Cherthala constituency in 1970. When Karunakaran resigned in 1977, Antony became the Chief Minister. He resigned as Chief Minister in October the following year. He became the AICC General Secretary in 1984. He was the Civil Supplies Cabinet Minister in the P.V. Narasimha Rao cabinet. He became the Chief Minister for the second time in 1995. Antony, who was the Leader of the Opposition, became the Chief Minister for the third time in 2001. He stepped down in 2004. Antony became the Defence Minister in the Manmohan Singh cabinet in 2006 and became a minister in the same department in the Manmohan Singh cabinet in 2009.

PK Vasudevan Nair (1978-79)

PKV was born on March 2, 1926 in Kidangoor, Kottayam district . PKV entered politics while studying at Aluva UC College. He joined the Communist Party in 1945. Although the Communist Party split in 1964, he remained steadfast in the CPI. PKV was a two-time MLA and four-time Lok Sabha member. He was the Industries Minister in the K. Karunakaran and AK. Antony ministries that came into effect in Kerala after the Emergency. Following the resignation of A.K. Antony, he took over as Chief Minister with the support of the Congress on October 29, 1978 . He resigned as Chief Minister on October 12, 1979 after the CPI decided to leave the Congress front in order to achieve Left unity. He was a minister, Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the same Legislative Assembly. He passed away on July 12, 2005 while still a member of the Lok Sabha .

CH Mohammed Koya (1979-79)

CH was born on 15 July 1927 in Atholi, Koyilandy, to Ali Musaliyar and Mariyumma. He started his professional career as a columnist in the daily newspaper 'Chandrika'. Later, he became its editor-in-chief. In 1951, he was elected to the national executive of the Indian Union Muslim League. In 1960, he entered the assembly from Tanur. After the death of Seethi Sahib, he became the speaker of the assembly on 9 June 1961. After resigning from that position, he contested from the Kozhikode constituency and was elected to Parliament. In 1967, he again entered the assembly. During 1969-70, he also handled the education department along with the home department. In 1979, CH became the eighth Chief Minister of Kerala. He could only sit in the Chief Minister's chair for 54 days. When Karunakaran became the Chief Minister again in 1981, CH became the Deputy Chief Minister. CH was the Deputy Chief Minister in the 7th Legislative Assembly as well. He died on September 28, 1983 in Hyderabad.

E.K. Nayanar (1980-81, 1987-91, 1996-2001)

The record for the longest tenure as Chief Minister in Kerala is held by E.K. Nayanar alias Erambala Krishnan Nayanar. He was the Chief Minister of Kerala for a total of 4009 days for three terms. He was also the Leader of the Opposition three times. E.K. Nayanar was also the first Marxist Chief Minister to complete his term in Kerala. He was born on December 9, 1919 , to Govindan Nambiar and Narayani in Erambala, Kalliasseri, Kannur . He worked in the Congress during the freedom struggle. When the left-wing thinkers of the Congress formed the Congress Socialist Party, he worked with them. He rose to the leadership of the Communist Party with the Morazha and Kayyur protests. He became a journalist in Kerala Kaumudi and Deshabhimani. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Palakkad constituency in 1967. He became the CPM State Secretary in 1972. Later, Nayanar joined the Central Committee and the Politburo, the highest body of the party. He entered the state assembly from Irikkur through a by-election in 1974. He won from Malampuzha in the 1980 assembly elections. Then E.K. Nayanar became the Chief Minister. However, the Nayanar ministry resigned on October 20, 1981. Then, when a new ministry was formed under the leadership of K. Karunakaran, Nayanar became the Leader of the Opposition. He won from Thrikaripur and became the Chief Minister again in 1987. He became the Chief Minister again for the third time in 1996. He passed away on May 19, 2004.

Oommen Chandy (2004-06, 2011-16)

Oommen Chandy was born on 31 October 1943 to K.O. Chandy and Baby in Karottu Vallakkalil, Puthuppally. While studying in school, he entered politics through the Congress student wing, KSU. He first contested and won the assembly election in 1970 from the Puthuppally constituency. He then won the elections in 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021. He became the Labour Minister in the Karunakaran cabinet in 1977 and later in the Antony cabinet. He then became the Home Minister in the Karunakaran cabinet in 1981. He became the Finance Minister in the Karunakaran cabinet in 1991. When the Antony faction emerged in the Congress, Oommen Chandy became the leader of the legislative party. In 1982, he became the convener of the United Democratic Front. When A.K. Antony resigned in 2004, the post of Chief Minister went to Oommen Chandy. He remained in that position until 18 May 2006. Later, on 18 May 2011, he became the Chief Minister again.

VS Achuthanandan (2006-2011)

V.S. Achuthanandan was born on 20 October 1923, as the son of Sankaran and Accamma, in Punnapra, Alappuzha district . He joined the Communist Party in 1940. It was P. Krishna Pillai who discovered a good communist in Achuthanandan. V.S. Achuthanandan rose from the agricultural workers of Kuttanad to the leadership of the Indian Communist movement. While participating in the Punnapra-Vayalar protest, he went into hiding in Poonjar due to an arrest warrant. Later, he was arrested by the police and spent four years in the Central Jail. In 1952, he was elected as the Alappuzha Division Secretary of the Communist Party. In 1956, he became the District Secretary. Later, in 1959, he became a member of the National Committee. In 1964, after the split of the Communist Party, he became a member of the Central Committee of the CPI (M). He became the party's state secretary three times since 1980. He became a member of the Politburo in 1986. V.S. Achuthanandan contested nine assembly elections from 1965 to 2011. He won six times. He became the Leader of the Opposition twice. He also served as the Left Front convener. He became the Chief Minister in 2006. He became the Leader of the Opposition again in 2011. He was the Chairman of the Fourth Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission from 2016 to 2021 .

Pinarayi Vijayan (2016-21, 2021-26)

Pinarayi Vijayan was born on 24 May 1945 to M.Koran and Alakkatt Kalyani in Thalassery, Kannur district. He entered politics through the KSF, the predecessor organization of SFI. He joined the Communist Party in 1964. In 1967, he was elected as the Thalassery Mandal Secretary of the Communist Party. He contested for the first time in the Legislative Assembly in 1970 from the Koothuparambu constituency and won. He won in the 1970, 1977, 1991, 1996, 2016, 2021 and 2026 elections. Pinarayi Vijayan, who became a member of the CPM Kannur District Secretariat in 1972, joined the party's state committee in 1978. He became the Kannur District Secretary in 1986. He became the Minister of Electricity and Cooperatives in the Nayanar cabinet. He became a member of the Politburo in 1998. He was the CPM State Secretary from 1998 to 2015. He became the twenty-second Chief Minister of Kerala after the Left Front won the majority in the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly elections held in 2016. He became the Chief Minister again with the victory in the 15th Kerala Legislative Assembly elections in 2021.

VD.Satheesan (2026-Present)

In the elections to the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly, the UDF came to power by winning 102 seats. On May 21, 2026, VD. Satheesan became the Chief Minister.