Kozhummal Chattadi Venugopal (born 4 February 1963) is an Indian politician who is a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha elected from Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency and former member of parliament in Upper House and is a member of the Indian National Congress.[1][2] He has been appointed a General Secretary of AICC and in charge of Karnataka on 29 April 2017.[3] Later, he was given additional charge of the general secretary of the organisation.[4]

He was the Minister of State for Civil Aviation & Ministry of Power in the second UPA government.[5] He was a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan between 2020 and 2024 and an MLA for Alappuzha from 1996 to 2009 and served as Cabinet Minister in the Kerala State Government for Tourism and Devaswoms in 2004.

Early life

Kozhummal Chattadi Venugopal was born on 4 February 1963 to Kunjukrishnan Nair and Janaki Amma in Payyanur, Kannur district of Kerala on 4 February 1963.[6]

Venugopal completed his higher education at Payyannur College, which was affiliated with the University of Calicut at the time. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) and later obtained a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Mathematics from the university in 1986. During his college days, he was also a volleyball player.[7]

Political career

Venugopal taking charge as the Minister of State for Power in Second Manmohan Singh ministry on 20 January 2011.

Venugopal came to active politics through the Student Movement of the Indian National Congress. He became the State President of the Kerala Students Union and State President of the Indian Youth Congress, He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Alappuzha Constituency in 1996, 2001 and 2006.[8][9][10] He served as the Minister for Dewaswom and Tourism in the Oommen Chandy Ministry from 2004-06. He contested the General Elections to Loksabha from Alappuzha Constituency in 2009 and was elected.[11]

On 29 April 2017, he was chosen as general secretary of All India Congress Committee.[12] He also was made in charge of Congress War Rooms in many elections. He was nominated from Rajasthan as a Member of parliament Rajya Sabha on 19 June 2020.[13] He served until 2024, when he resigned to contest the general election. He won from Alappuzha once again this time with a margin of 63,513 votes.[14]

Member of Coordination Committee of INDIA (Alliance)

Venugopal was appointed as a member of the Coordination Committee of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance at its Mumbai convention on 1 September 2023.[15][16] The coordination committee will decide the national agenda, common campaign issues and common program of the country's main opposition alliance (I.N.D.I.A.).

Election History

House Election Party Constitunecy Opponent Result Majority
Lok Sabha 1991 INC Kasaragod CPI(M) Ramanna Rai Lost 9,423
2009 INC Alappuzha CPI(M) K. S. Manoj Won 57,635
2014 INC Alappuzha CPI(M) C.B. Chandrababu Won 19,407
2024 INC Alappuzha CPI(M) A. M. Ariff Won 63,513
Kerala Legislative Assembly 1996 INC Alappuzha CPI P. S. Somasekharan Won 7,536
2001 INC Alappuzha CPI A. M. Abdul Raheem Won 19,153
2006 INC Alappuzha CPI T. J. Anjalose Won 16,933

Positions held

Positions Held
PositionDuration
Chairperson, Committee on Public Accounts14 August 2024  – Present
Elected to 18th Lok SabhaJune 2024
Member, Committee on DefenceSeptember 2021  – Present
Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of EducationJuly 2020  – Present
Member, Committee on Transport, Tourism, and CultureJuly 2020  – September 2021
Elected to Rajya SabhaJune 2020  – June 2024
Member, Joint Committee on the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provision (Amendment) Bill, 201611 May 2016  – Present
Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Human Resource Development
Member, Railway Convention Committee (R.C.C.)27 April 2015  – Present
Deputy Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party (Lok Sabha)
Member, Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture
Member, Committee on Government Assurances1 September 2014  – Present
Re-elected to 16th Lok Sabha (2nd term)May 2014
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation1 May 2012  – 2014
Union Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation28 October 2012  – 2014
Union Minister of State, Ministry of Power1 May 2011  –
Union Minister of State, Ministry of Power19 January 2011  – 28 October 2012
Member, India-Bangladesh Parliamentary Friendship Group22 July 2010
Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Agriculture
Member, Railway Convention Committee
Member, Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture31 August 2009
Member, Committee on Estimates6 August 2009
Elected to 15th Lok Sabha2009
Cabinet Minister, Government of Kerala1 September 2004  – 2006
Minister for Tourism and Devaswom, Government of Kerala2004  – 2006
Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Kerala1 May 1996  – 2009
Member, Kerala Legislative Assembly (Three Terms)1996  – 2009

References

  1. ↑ "'Not taking CPI's criticism seriously, Congress does not want CPI-free Kerala'". Kerala Kaumudi. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  2. ↑ "Rajya Sabha elections: Congress wins two seats, BJP wins one in Rajasthan". The Tribune. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Karnataka Congress in-charge KC Venugopal vows to stop BJP from winning 2018 elections". Firstpost. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Menon, Aditya (30 January 2019). "Rahul Gandhi's Trouble-Shooter: The Steady Rise of KC Venugopal". TheQuint. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Press Information Bureau".
  6. ↑ "Venugopal, K.C." (PDF). niyamasabha.org. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "K C Venugopal: The Congress whisperer". The Indian Express. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Members of 10th KLA 1996-01
  9. ↑ Members of 11th KLA 2001-06
  10. ↑ Members of 12th KLA 2006-11
  11. ↑ "For Venugopal, Kannur is the launch pad". The Hindu. 19 January 2011. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  12. ↑ "K C Venugopal made AICC general secretary". Deccan Chronicle. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "CBI Takes Over Solar Scam Probe, Case Against Top Kerala Congress Leaders". NDTV. 17 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Lok Sabha polls: Congress leader K.C. Venugopal registers thumping victory in Alappuzha". The Hindu. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Opposition alliance named 'INDIA', 11-member coordination committee to decide on all important issues". The Times of India. 19 July 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  16. ↑ Singh, Mritunjay (September 2023). "Sharad Pawar, Tejashwi, Raghav Chadha Named In I.N.D.I.A's 13-Member Coordination Panel". ABP Live. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._C._Venugopal