Vakkom Purushothaman
Vakkom B. Purushothaman (12 April 1928 – 31 July 2023) was an Indian politician who served as the Governor of Mizoram from 2011 to 2014, Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, state minister and Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Vakkom Purushothaman | |
|---|---|
Purushothaman (center) in 2012 | |
| 9th Governor of Mizoram | |
| In office 2 September 2011 – 6 July 2014 | |
| Chief Minister | Lal Thanhawla |
| Preceded by | Madan Mohan Lakhera |
| Succeeded by | Kamla Beniwal |
| 14th Governor of Tripura | |
| In office 30 June 2014 – 14 July 2014 | |
| Chief Minister | Manik Sarkar |
| Preceded by | Devanand Konwar |
| Succeeded by | Padmanabha Acharya |
| Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2001–2004 1982–1984 | |
| Minister of Finance and Excise, Government of Kerala | |
| In office 2004–2006 | |
| 6th Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands | |
| In office 19 March 1993 – 18 March 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Surjit Singh Barnala |
| Succeeded by | Ishwari Prasad Gupta |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1984–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Susheela Gopalan |
| Succeeded by | T. J. Anjalose |
| Constituency | Alappuzha |
| Minister of Health and Tourism, Government of Kerala | |
| In office 1980–1981 | |
| Minister of Agriculture and Labour, Government of Kerala | |
| In office 1971–1977 | |
| Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2001–2006 | |
| Preceded by | Anathalavattom Anandan |
| Succeeded by | Anathalavattom Anandan |
| Constituency | Attingal |
| Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1970–1984 | |
| Preceded by | K. P. K. Das |
| Succeeded by | P. Vijayadas |
| Constituency | Attingal |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1928 Vakkom, Kingdom of Travancore, British India (present-day Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India) |
| Died | 31 July 2023 (aged 95) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse | Dr. Lily Purushothaman |
| Children | 3 |
Vakkom B. Purushothaman was born at Vakkom near Trivandrum, the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore, on 12 April 1928, as the eldest son of Bhanu Panicker and Bhavani. He was also the grandson of Pappu Tharakan, a notable businessman in Travancore.
He started his political life as an active worker of the Students' Congress (now called Kerala Students Union) in 1946, he became a member of Vakkom Panchayat in 1953. Later, he served as President of the District Congress Committee, Thiruvananthapuram and the General Secretary and Vice–President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. He has been a member of All India Congress Committee for over 35 years.