Veteran Congress leader K. Sankaranarayanan passes away aged 89

Veteran Congress leader K. Sankaranarayanan died at his residence in Palakkad on Sunday. He was 89.

In his time, Sankaranarayanan was a powerful force in Congress. He was perhaps the longest-serving United Democratic Front (UDF) convener, a testimony to his shrewd political instincts and a fine-tuned sense of the eddies of coalition politics. He also served as a Cabinet Minister in K. Karunakaran and A.K. Antony governments.

Perhaps, Sankaranarayanan’s singular achievement was that he had served as Governor in six states; Maharashtra, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Goa, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

Sankaranarayanan was born to Sankaran Nair and Lakshmi Amma at Shorunur in 1932. He forayed into politics as a State Congress student activist in the tumultuous days of the Independence Struggle in 1946.

Mr. Sankaranarayanan had rubbed shoulders with a galaxy of iconic political leaders, including Kamaraj. Political power rested easily on his shoulders. In his interactions, Mr. Sankaranarayanan reflected the simplicity and charm of primarily agrarian Palakkad.

Shafi Parambil, MLA, remembered Mr. Sankaranarayanan as an accessible leader not tainted by jealousy.

Sankaranarayanan had briefly parted with the Congress following a national level split in 1969. He aligned with the short-lived Congress (O) faction and was elected as its working committee member. He sallied into electoral politics in 1977 by winning the Thrithala Assembly seat for Congress.

Subsequently, he was elected to the Assembly again from Sreekrishnapuram (1977), Ottapalam (1987) and Palakkad (2001).

Mr. Sankaranarayanan also served as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. His wife Radha and daughter Anupama survive him.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Speaker M.B. Rajesh, and Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan condoled the death of Mr. Sankaranarayanan