LONG MARCH OF A CONGRESSMAN

Over four decades in state and national politics, Ramesh Chennithala has established himself as a force to reckon with

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HE name Ramesh Chennithala has been a constant in the shifting theatre of Kerala politics.

Across four decades, Chennithala has moved through the ranks of the Indian National Congress, taking on one responsibility after another in a career built on persistence. Rising from student activism to become the youngest minister in the state, serving four terms as Member of Parliament and five as MLA, and holding key responsibilities that span generations of party history. From state president of KSU and national president of NSUI to Youth Congress chief, KPCC president, AICC secretary overseeing multiple states, Home Minister in the Oommen Chandy government, and later Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, his political journey has traversed organisation-building, governance, parliamentary debates and high-stakes accountability politics.

In recent years, however, he has remained a quieter force within the Congress. Even after being denied key positions, including that of being a permanent member of the Working Committee (since 2023, Chennithala is a permanent invitee of the WC) and the post of Opposition Leader, Chennithala chose not to create friction within the party. Instead, he continued as a loyal member, supporting the leadership.

Chennithala's proximity with the Gandhi family has, at times, cost him politically. As national president of the Youth Congress, he organised a massive rally that drew attention in Delhi, but was later asked to step down by senior leader P V Narasimha Rao, reportedly because he was seen as close to Rajiv Gandhi.

Known as an organisational strategist, Chennithala's career has been marked more by endurance than spectacle.