V. T. Balram
V. T. Balram | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 2026 | |
| Preceded by | M. B. Rajesh |
| Constituency | Thrithala |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 May 1978 |
| Spouse | Anupama Balram |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | |
| Source: | |
V. T. Balram (born 21 May 1978) is an Indian politician from Kerala and a member of the Indian National Congress and vice-president of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. He is a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly representing Thrithala constituency for the third term. Earlier he represented the constituency for ten years from 2011 to 2021, but was defeated by M. B. Rajesh of Communist Party of India (Marxist) by a vote margin of 3016. In 2026 assembly elections he made a spectacular comeback defeating the same M. B. Rajesh who was a sitting minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan government. Balram now serves as the Chairperson of the Estimates Committee of the Assembly. [1][2]
Early life and education
[edit]Balram was born to K. Sreenarayanan and V. T. Saraswathy on 21 May 1978, in Othalur near Thrithala in Pattambi taluk, Palakkad district, Kerala. He did his schooling from Gokhale Government Higher Secondary School, JNV Palakkad and JNV Jhalawar.
While pursuing higher studies he joined student politics through Kerala Students Union. He was elected multiple times to college unions and held responsibilities such as University Union Councillor, Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur (1997) and Government Engineering College, Thrissur (2000); Senate Member, University of Calicut (1999–2000 and 2006–07); Editor, KSU State Kalasala (2007–08); State Secretary, Indian Youth Congress (2009–10); State General Secretary, Indian Youth Congress (2010–13).[3]
He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for the first time in 2011 from the once communist bastion, Thrithala in Palakkad district. He won a second term in the 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, with a record margin of 10,547 votes at a time when his front, the UDF, managed to win only 47 seats out of the total 140. In 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election, Balram lost the election to former Lok Sabha Member of Palakkad M. B. Rajesh, who went on to become Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and later a minister for Excise and LSGD in the Pinarayi Vijayan government. However in 2026, he regained the Thrithala seat defeating the same rival with a majority of 8,385 votes.
Cultural and political image
[edit]In 2016, he supported Amnesty International in the controversy against Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.[4] He has admitted his son to a government school and declared that he does not want to raise him in any religion or caste.[5][6] He is noted for his strong opposition to Hindutva and economic reservation for forward castes implemented by the LDF Government of Kerala.[7] A vegetarian for 19 years, he protested against the beef ban in India by eating beef with his friends and shared the video on social media.[8]
He was mocked by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) sympathizers for taking a photograph with transgender activist Sheethal Shyam during a pride parade, for which then Lok Sabha Member M. B. Rajesh tendered an unconditional apology.[9]
In January 2018, he faced an attack for his unsavory comments in social media on the late communist leader A. K. Gopalan, accusing him of child abuse for falling in love with a 11-year-old girl.[10][11]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Kerala Assembly Election 2021, Thrithala profile: Firebrand Congress leader VT Balram won second term in 2016". Firstpost. 7 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ↑ "UDF's Balram, who breached Left stronghold in Thrithala, confident of another victory". The News Minute. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ↑ "Members - Kerala Legislature". www.niyamasabha.org. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012.
- ↑ Aravind (16 August 2016). "Anti National slogans at Amnesty international meet". Bangalore Wishesh. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ↑ Chauhan, Chanchal (2 June 2017). "Kerala leaders VT Balram, MB Rajesh leave column blank in school forms, say their children have no default religion". India.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ↑ "My children have no default religion: 2 Kerala leaders refuse to fill in column in school form". The News Minute. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ↑ "Not economic reservation but savarna reservation: Congress MLA V T Balram". Madhyamam.
- ↑ "Vegetarian for 19 years, Kerala Congress MLA VT Balram eats beef to lodge protest". India Today. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ↑ "Party cadres mock transgender activist, CPI(M) MP apologises". The News Minute.
- ↑ "CPI(M) workers hurl rotten eggs at Kerala Congress MLA V.T. Balram". The Hindu. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ↑ M.K., Nidheesh (10 January 2018). "Kerala Congress MLA attacked over controversial remarks on A.K.Gopalan". livemint.com/. Retrieved 11 January 2018.