Oommen Chandy

Oommen Chandy (31 October 1943 – 18 July 2023) was the 10th chief minister of Kerala, serving from 2004 to 2006 and 2011 to 2016. He served also as the leader of the opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011. He represented Puthuppally constituency as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the State Assembly from 1970 until his death in 2023, making him the longest-serving member of the Kerala Legislature Assembly. He received an award for public service from the United Nations in 2013. In 2018, he was appointed as the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, in charge of the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was also a Congress Working Committee member at the time of his death. Early life and education Oommen Chandy was born on 31 October 1943 to a Malankara Orthodox Christian family in Kumarakom, Kottayam district, as the son of Baby Chandy and K. O. Chandy of the Karottu Vallakkalil house. He was named after his grandfather, V. J. Oommen, a member of the Travancore Legislative Council. Oommen ventured into the political arena as an activist of Kerala's largest student organization Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of the Indian National Congress party. He was the unit president of the KSU at St. George High School, Puthupally, and went on to become the state president of the organization. Oommen completed his pre-university course from CMS College, Kottayam and received a B.A. in economics from St. Berchmans College, Changanassery. Later, he earned a bachelor's degree in law (LL.B) from the Government Law College, Ernakulam.