THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kanam Rajendran, 71, has scored hatrick by emerging as the State CPI secretary for the third consecutive time. He was elected unanimously at the CPI State conference held in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.
Contrary to speculations, the rebel faction didn't field a candidate and Kanam was elected unanimously. The state council witnessed total dominance of the Kanam faction. Veteran leaders KE Ismail and C Divakaran were dropped from the council.
Kanam became the AIYF state secretary when he was 19 in 1969. At that time C K Chandrappan became its national president. Kanam holds the record for being the youngest student leader to reach that position in AIYF under Kaniyapuram Ramachandran who was the State president then.
Kanam was only 21 when he was included in the CPI State Council in 1971. He was included in the CPI State Secretariat when he was 25. Kanam holds another record of being a member of the CPI State Council over the last 51 years. He became the CPI Kottayam district secretary twice. It was in 2015 he became the State Secretary. He is also in the CPI central Secretariat. Kanam is also a two time MLA during 1982 and 1987.
Kanam was also the State secretary of the AITUC State Council along with P Balachandra Menon, T V Thomas, P Bhaskaran, Kallatt Krishnan and K P Prabhakaran. This led him to become the youngest trade union leader.
Currently, Kanam is the AITUC national vice president. He is also holding the post of president of C Achutha Menon foundation. Kanam is also one of the founders of the film societies in the State.