Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan elected Speaker of 16th Kerala Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan was on Friday elected Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly. He had won the assembly elections from the Kottayam constituency. Other candidates for the Speaker’s post included A C Moideen (LDF) and B B Gopakumar (NDA). 

After the results were declared, Radhakrishnan was escorted to the Speaker’s chair by Chief Minister V D Satheesan and the Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan. He kick-started the proceedings by inviting Satheesan to speak. Pro-tem Speaker G Sudhakaran oversaw the entire voting and counting process. 

Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, son of K P Parameswaran Pillai and M G Gourikutty, was born on 26 December 1949 at Thiruvanchoor. Radhakrishnan entered politics as a student, serving as School Leader at Marthoma School, Kottayam (1963) and Chairman of the Baselius College Union (1967). He held several key positions in the Kerala Students Union, including District President (1967), State General Secretary (1969), and State President (1974). He also served as General Secretary and later State President of the Youth Congress, and as General Secretary of the KPCC-I from 1984 to 2001.

He was active in university politics as well, serving as General Secretary and Chairman of the Kerala University Union, Senate Member of Kerala University, and Syndicate Member of Cochin University of Science and Technology (1986–96). Radhakrishnan has also led labour and professional organisations, including the Premier Tyres Employees Union, Kerala State Transport Workers Union, and the Financial Enterprises Officers’ Club.

He is currently a Member of the AICC, Secretary of the Congress Legislature Party, and Election Committee Member of KPCC. Radhakrishnan was previously elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1991, 1996, and 2001.

MLAs cast their votes using ballot papers in a booth near the Speaker’s seat, marking their choice with a multiplication symbol. Completed ballots were placed in a box on the Speaker’s table. Votes were counted under the supervision of the Assembly Secretary, in the presence of polling agents from all three fronts.

On Thursday, as part of the first session of the 16th Kerala Assembly, Sudhakaran administered the oath of office to the newly elected MLAs. A former CPM leader who contested the elections as a Congress-backed independent, Sudhakaran was sworn in as Pro-tem Speaker during a brief ceremony at Kerala Lok Bhavan on Wednesday.

The Assembly comprises 102 UDF MLAs, 35 LDF MLAs, and 3 NDA MLAs.