ALAPPUZHA: On Wednesday evening, Minister Saji Cherian was supposed to hand over the key of the 40th house built by Karuna Pain and Palliative Care Society to a beneficiary at Chengannur. Instead, he was destined to hand over his resignation to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Even in the absence of Saji Cherian, the function organised by Karuna was held as planned, demonstrating the extent of professionalism the untiring leader has imbibed in his pet project.
A minute before announcing his resignation on Wednesday, Cherian was seen asking reporters to cool down, reminding them that it was only a press conference.Though his body language also conveyed tension, he appeared more concerned about the stress level of those around him. The 57-year-old leader rose to fame and built a strong vote base in Chengannur, once a bastion of UDF, by working hard in the grassroots. He was everywhere, accessible to all and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in distress. For him, political barriers existed only during electioneering and his doors were always open to even people belonging to rival political parties.
The organisational skills of Cherian ensured him a berth in the CPM state secretariat during the party state conference held in Kochi last year.He was part of the new group of leaders inducted in the party’s topmost panel for taking over the reins when the incumbent leadership retires. Born at Kozhuvallur, Cherian began his political career as an SFI activist. After graduating from Bishop Moore College, Mavelikkara, he became a full-time public worker.
He was a follower of G Sudhakaran who controlled the party in Alappuzha for a long period. Later, he became a confidant of Pinarayi Vijayan and eventually emerged out of Sudhakaran’s shadow.
He was elected to Alappuzha district panchayat from Mulakuzha in 1995. In 2001, he became the Chengannur area secretary and later Alappuzha district secretary.
His first battle for the assembly was not successful as he was defeated by P C Vishnunadh in 2006. In the 2018 Chengannur bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of K K Ramachandran Nair, the CPM had no choice other than Saji Cherian as the candidate. He romped home with a comfortable margin and repeated the victory in 2021.
The soft spoken leader, who has pragmatic solutions to all issues on fingertips, also acts as a bridge connecting various Christian groups with the CPM. Though a member of CSI church, Saji has built strong personal relations with bishops of all major Churches and was instrumental in ensuring their support to the LDF during the election. In the cabinet, he was rated as a performer. The minister had to abruptly end his innings when there was a slew of major projects lined up for execution in the fisheries and cultural affairs departments.