C. F. Thomas
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Chennikkara Francis Thomas (30 July 1939 – 27 September 2020) was an Indian politician from
Changanassery Changanassery, () formerly Changanacherry, is a municipality in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is located south of the district headquarters in Kottayam and about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 ...
and member of the
Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 30 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 ...
. He was Minister for Rural Development in the third A. K. Antony ministry and the subsequent
first Oommen Chandy ministry The Eleventh Kerala Legislative Assembly Council of Ministers in Oommen Chandy's first ministry, was a Kerala Council of Ministers (Kerala Cabinet), the executive wing of Kerala state government, led by Indian National Congress leader Oommen Chand ...
. He was also the Chairman of the
Kerala Congress Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded in Kottayam, Kerala on 9 October 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala. Initially its main suppor ...
and later became its Deputy Chairman. Before entering politics, he was a teacher at St. Berchmans Higher Secondary School in Changanassery from 1962 to 1980.


Political career

Thomas entered politics in 1956 as an activist of the
Kerala Students Union The Kerala Students Union (abbreviated KSU) is the largest students organization in Kerala, India. It functions as the student wing of the INC. Organisation have strong ideology of Indian National Congress party. KSU was founded in 1957 at A ...
, the student wing of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...
. He joined the
Kerala Congress Kerala Congress is an Indian political party founded in Kottayam, Kerala on 9 October 1964, by a block of former Indian National Congress leaders led by K. M. George. The party is primarily active in central Kerala. Initially its main suppor ...
in 1964 and was a founder member of the party. He was elected to the
Kerala Legislative Assembly The Kerala Legislative Assembly, popularly known as the Kerala Niyamasabha, is the State Assembly of Kerala, one of the 30 states in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives. Each elected member represents one of the 140 ...
for 9 consecutive terms starting from 1980, representing Changanassery constituency. Thomas was a minister in the third A. K. Antony ministry and the subsequent
first Oommen Chandy ministry The Eleventh Kerala Legislative Assembly Council of Ministers in Oommen Chandy's first ministry, was a Kerala Council of Ministers (Kerala Cabinet), the executive wing of Kerala state government, led by Indian National Congress leader Oommen Chand ...
, holding the portfolios of Registration, Rural Development, Khadi and Village Industries. He was the State Level General Secretary o
Kerala Catholic Students League
He was respected for his humility and simple lifestyle. Starting political activities while a student, he joined Indian National Congress and then became Vice-President of Changanassery Town (West). He joined Kerala Congress on its formation and served as Secretary and President of Changanassery constituency; District Secretary, Kottayam; Member, State Executive Committee. He worked as General Secretary and Chairman of the
Kerala Congress (M) Kerala Congress (Mani) or KEC(M) is a state-level political party in the Indian state of Kerala, currently led by chairman Jose K. Mani. It was formed by K. M. Mani in 1979, after a split from the Kerala Congress. They are part of the LDF sin ...
. Owing to the amalgamation of the three groups of Kerala Congress, he served as its Deputy Chairman. He allied with the
P. J. Joseph Palathinal Joseph Joseph (born 10 June 1941) is an Indian politician from Kerala Congress serving as the Member of the Legislative Assembly from Thodupuzha Assembly Constituency in Kerala. A former cabinet minister, Joseph entered Kerala polit ...
faction of KC(M) after the party faced a rift following K. M. Mani's death. Thomas died at
Thiruvalla Thiruvalla, () also spelled Tiruvalla, is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of and has a population of 52,883 people, down from 56,837 in 2001. It is also the H ...
Believers Church Medical College Hospital Believers Church Medical College Hospital (BCMCH) is a healthcare institution of Believers eastern Church based in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India. The Medical College is attached to a 750-bed, multi-speciality hospital. The Medical College, establish ...
on 27 September 2020, at age 81, following a long illness.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, C. F. 1939 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Indian educators Educators from Kerala Indian Eastern Catholics Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala Indian schoolteachers Kerala MLAs 1991–1996 Kerala MLAs 1996–2001 Kerala MLAs 2001–2006 Kerala MLAs 2006–2011 Kerala MLAs 2011–2016 Kerala MLAs 2016–2021 Malayali politicians People from Changanassery Politicians from Kottayam district