Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 2026 — Candidates Data
— Ramesh Chennithala
Kerala Legislative Assembly Election 2026 — Candidates Data›Candidate profile
Ramesh
Chennithala
Ramesh Ramakrishnan Chennithala
“Former Kerala Home Minister and Leader of Opposition; Congress veteran”
Political affiliation
Electoral record
| Year | Body | Constituency | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Assembly | Haripad | Won | |
| 1987 | Assembly | Haripad | Won | |
| 1989 | Lok Sabha | Kottayam | Won | |
| 1991 | Lok Sabha | Kottayam | Won | |
| 1996 | Lok Sabha | Kottayam | Won | |
| 1998 | Lok Sabha | Kottayam | Lost | Lost narrowly to CPI(M) candidate K. Suresh Kurup |
| 1999 | Lok Sabha | Mavelikkara | Won | Defeated CPI candidate Ninan Koshy by over 33,000 votes |
| 2004 | Lok Sabha | Mavelikkara | Lost | Lost to CPI(M) candidate C. S. Sujatha |
| 2011 | Assembly | Haripad | Won | |
| 2026 | Assembly | Haripad, Kerala | Contesting |
Political entry
Student politics
- Secretary, school unit (Chennithala High School) — Kerala Students' Union (KSU)
Ministerial & key roles
Home Minister (Home & Vigilance), Government of Kerala
Under CM Oommen Chandy · From 2014
- Operation Kubera – campaign against illegal moneylenders and loan sharks
- Clean Campus, Safe Campus – anti-drug and crime prevention programme in educational institutions
Leader of the Opposition, Kerala Legislative Assembly
2016–2021
Led UDF in the Assembly; UDF later won 19 of 20 Lok Sabha seats from Kerala in 2019
Organisational career
State
State President
Kerala Students' Union (KSU)
State
State President
Youth Congress, Kerala
1990
National President
Indian Youth Congress
c. 2005
President
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC)
National
Permanent invitee to Congress Working Committee
Indian National Congress
Personal
Education
Schooling: Mahatma High School, Chennithala
Economics
NSS Hindu College, Changanassery
Law
Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram
Highest qualification: Graduate (B.A., LL.B.)
Family
Father
V. Ramakrishnan Nair
Mother
Devakiamma
Marital status
Married
Spouse
Anitha Ramesh
Development officer
Son
Dr. Rohit Chennithala
Doctor · Spouse: Sreeja
Son
Ramit (Ramith) Chennithala
Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer · Spouse: Junita (Junitta) John · Cleared Civil Services Examination 2017 with an All-India Rank around 210
Known for
Sources
Last compiled: 2026-03-28
- Wikipedia biography of Ramesh Chennithala
- Kerala Legislative Assembly member profile
- Official / personal website biography
- Election affidavit and profile sites
- Press reports on family events and public initiatives
Data compiled from publicly available sources with the assistance of AI. View constituency list.