Veteran Congress leader and former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai passed away at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. He was 95. He had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at the hospital.
Born on 11 March 1930 in Sooranad, Kollam, Pillai was elected twice to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from the Adoor constituency in 1977 and 1982. He also served three terms in the Rajya Sabha from 1991 to 1998, and again from 2003 to 2009. He also contested unsuccessfully from Adoor in 1967, 1980, and 1987.
After completing his BSc from MG College in Thiruvananthapuram, Thennala began his political career as president of the Congress’ Pulikkulam ward committee.
Thennala then rose steadily through the ranks of the Congress party. He went on to serve as president of the Kunnathur Block Congress Committee, the Shooranad Constituency Congress Committee, and later, the Kollam District Congress Committee (DCC).
He became the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president twice, first in 1998 and again in 2004.
Known for his organisational acumen and consensus-driven leadership, Thennala was widely respected as a figure who stayed above factionalism within the party. His tenure as KPCC president coincided with major political shifts in Kerala, notably the United Democratic Front’s return to power in 2001, winning 100 seats in the Assembly elections.
Known for his gentle demeanor and unwavering ideological commitment, Thennala led a dignified and principled political life that spanned decades.
His political career was marked by both service and sacrifice. Thennala began with 17 acres of ancestral property, but in the course of his political life, he sold nearly all of it—retaining only 14 cents—embodying the values of Gandhian simplicity and selflessness.
As a principled politician and seasoned parliamentarian, Thennala had dedicated over six decades of his life to public service.