KANNUR: A Congress politician and an ardent follower of Gandhian ideals who has been steadfastly supporting the CPM-led LDF in Kerala for the last three decades. That sums up Kadannapally Ramachandran, indeed a rare breed of politician who has managed to maintain a distinct identity in state politics.
His political career, right from his student-days in the 1970s, stood out for its disdain for power politics.
Indeed, Kadannappally is virtually a stranger to the politics of cold-blooded calculation politicians are synonymous with. And, a berth in the LDF Cabinet could be a recognition, albeit very belated, of his spotless political career.
Born at Kandonthara in Kadannappally in 1944 to noted astrologer Kunhikrishnan and Parvathy Amma, he entered politics inspired by the speeches of national leaders of that era.
Starting as a KSU worker, Ramachandran became its president and, at 27, defeated CPM veteran E K Nayanar in the Lok Sabha election from the Kasargod constituency.
That marked the successful entry of Kadannappally into electoral politics, although his later political life was later to see many ups and downs.
Kadannappally left the Congress along with A K Antony, Oommen Chandy and P C Chacko after the Emergency.
He got elected from the Irikkur Assembly constituency in 1980, but when Antony and his other political colleagues returned to the Congress fold two years later, Kadannappally refused to follow suit.
That was how the Congress (S) was born but Kadannappally, who had steadfastly stood with LDF ever since, was defeated from the Peravoor constituency in the 1987 and ‘91 Assembly polls when he contested as an NCP candidate.
It was in 2006, after an interval of 15 years, that Kadannappally got elected to the Assembly again, this time as an LDF candidate from the Edakkad constituency.
He won the seat with a majority of more than 30,000 votes. There were reports that Kadannappally would be made a minister, more so because the Congress (S) happened to be the only LDF constituent without a representative in the Cabinet.
In fact, Congress (S) followers for long believed that his entry into the State Cabinet was just a matter of time.
His wife Saraswathy is a retired teacher and son Mithun works for Western musical troupes.