Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan turns 80

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan turns 80 today. Like his usual preferred way, it will be a normal day at the office for him without any celebrations. Sunday will also mark nine years since Pinarayi Vijayan became the chief minister of Kerala.

According to official records, Pinarayi Vijayan's birthday is March 21, 1945. However, Pinarayi Vijayan himself announced that his actual birthday was May 24, 1945.

It was one day before his ascend to power in 2016 that the CPM leader cleared the air about his birthday date. Pinarayi Vijayan was born on May 24, 1945, in Pinarayi, Kannur, to Koran and Kalyani. He was educated at Saradha Vilasam LP School, Peralasseri Government High School, and Thalassery Brennan College.

While studying for a BA in Economics at Brennan College, he became the Kannur District Secretary of the Kerala Students Federation. He became a member of the KSF state committee in 1964. Pinarayi joined the youth movement from student politics and later became the KSYF state president. In 1967, he became the secretary of the Thalassery Committee of the CPM. In 1968, he became a member of the party's district committee. In 1972, Pinarayi was elected to the district secretariat and in 1978, to the state committee.

Following the death of Chadayan Govindan, he resigned as a minister and became the party secretary on September 25, 1998. After that, he was re-elected as secretary at the state conferences held in Kannur, Malappuram and Kottayam. He then became a member of the Politburo. Pinarayi Vijayan became the 12th chief minister of Kerala in 2016 after LDF stormed to power in the state.