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VT Balram is an Indian politician who represented the Thrithala state assembly constituency in Kerala from 2011 to 2021. He is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Vice President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC).
Wiki/Biography
VT Balram was born on Sunday, 21 May 1978 (age 44; as of 2022) at Othallur, near Thritala, Palakkad District, Kerala. He completed his schooling from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Palakkad, Kerala and Pachpahar, Jhalawar District, Rajasthan. He holds a BA in Chemistry from Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, Thrissur (1998). Balram then pursued B.Tech EEE (Electrical and Electronics Engineering) at Government College of Engineering, Thrissur, Kerala (2002). He completed his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Government Law College, Thrissur (2009). Balram completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calicut – Department of Commerce and Management Studies (2005). Balram was the editor of Kalasala, the Kerala Students’ Union magazine, from 2007-2008.
Physical appearance
Hair color: black
Eye Color: Black
family
VT Balram’s family hails from Othalli near Thritala in Palakkad District, Kerala.
parents and siblings
His father, K. Srinarayanan, was a retired primary school teacher who died on 11 December 2019. His mother’s name is VT Saraswathy
wife and children
VT Balram is married to Anupama Balram, Govt. High school teacher. He has two children, son Advait Manavi and daughter Avantika.
VT Balram with his wife Anupama
While Balram enrolled his children in Arikad Government LP School, Thritala (Palakkad), Kerala, Balram refused to fill in the religion column as he wanted them to choose their own religion.
VT Balram with his children
Address
Rathnalayam, Otal. PO Thrithala, Palakkad -679534
Career
politics
VT Balram has been a member of the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU), the student wing of the Indian National Congress in the state, since his college days. Balram, in 1998, became the University Union Advisor at Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, Kerala. During his tenure at Government College of Engineering, Thrissur (2002), VT Balram, for the second time, became the Union Advisor of the University. He was a member of the University of Calicut Senate from 1999 to 2000 and from 2006 to 2007. He is one of the young Congress politicians who spoke about the shortcomings and authoritarianism of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and openly opposed the Hindutva ideology propagated by the party. He was the State Secretary of the Youth Congress (the youth wing of the Indian National Congress) in Kerala in 2009-2010. Balram was elected as the State General Secretary of Youth Congress (Kerala) in 2010 and served in this position for three years (2010-2013).
VT Balram with Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Yatra
Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA).
In 2011, Balram was declared as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from Thritala Assembly Constituency in Palakkad, Kerala. Thrithala has been a CPI(M) stronghold for over two decades, with the Congress registering its previous victory in 1987. Balram, in his election debut (2011 Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections), defeated Mammikutty of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) by about 3,000 votes, returning the Congress to LDF rule after 2 years. He retained his seat in the 2016 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections; However, in 2021, he lost to CPI(M)’s MB Rajesh, a former MP from Palakkad, who was then appointed the 23rd Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and later the second Pinarayi Vijayan minister. Balram lost to MB Rajesh by over 2,000 votes, ending his 10-year (2011-2021) tenure as MLA from Tritala Assembly constituency. During his time as a member of the Legislative Assembly, Balram convinced the state government to establish a government college in his constituency. Balram was the architect behind the plan to set up two skill development institutes in Thritala district. Kaushal Kendra and Community Skill Park in Thritala District were implemented during his tenure. Pattambi taluk in Palakkad district of Kerala was formed during his tenure as MLA of the region.
VT Balram addressed the protest after the police resorted to lathi-charge
confrontations
Things are waiting for me
- 2 Charges relating to willfully causing hurt to obstruct a public servant in the discharge of his duty (IPC Section-332)
- 1 charge related to criminal intimidation with punishment (IPC Section-506)
- 1 count of attempted murder (IPC Section-308)
Conviction cases
- 3 Charges relating to membership of unlawful assembly punishable (IPC Section-143)
- 3 Charges relating to punishment for rioting (IPC Section-147)
- 3 Charges relating to all members of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offense committed in pursuit of a common object (Section 149 IPC)
- 2 charges relating to rioting, armed with a deadly weapon (IPC Section-148)
- 2 Charges relating to danger or obstruction to public road or line of navigation (IPC section-283)
- 1 Charge relating to assault or criminal force to prevent a public servant from discharging official duties (IPC Section-353)
- 1 The charge relates to joining or continuing an unlawful assembly, knowing that it has been ordered to disperse (IPC Section-145)
A controversial comment about communist icon and leader AK Gopalan (AKG).
VT Balram stirred up a hornet’s nest in 2018 when he made scathing remarks about the late Ak Gopalan, a communist icon and Leader of the Opposition in the first Lok Sabha. Through a Facebook post, Balram implied that AKG was a pedophile who fell in love with a girl many years his junior while he was legally married to his first wife. Balram’s comment did not go down well with CPI(M) leaders and party workers. Senior CPI(M) leaders such as Pinarayi Vijayan, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, MM Mani and Kadakampali Surendran slammed the Congress MLA, questioning the Congress party’s tradition of insulting great leaders like AK Gopalan, and demanded that Balram apologize for his comments. He was not supported by his leaders and former Kerala Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Oommen Chand, then president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, M.M. Hasan and then Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala were among the prominent Congress leaders who rejected Balram’s comments, insisting that it was not in keeping with the Congress or party culture. They reiterated that the Congress party does not approve of such statements. Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers vandalized MLA office of VT Balram in Thritala following his remarks on AKG. Balram refused to apologize for his comments but confirmed that he wants to put an end to the incident. The CPM protested with a complete boycott of VT Balram in Thritala. In an interview, Balram said that he has not been invited to CPIM-run panchayats since 2018 after he made comments about AK Gopalan. During the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) highlighted Balram’s remarks on AKG as part of their election campaign in the Thritala Assembly constituency, where Balram faced MB Rajesh of the CPI(M) for a third term as MLA of the constituency. VT Balram was not ready to apologize for his comments about AKG, even after being singled out by the Congress leadership. He changed his position during the campaign for the 2021 Legislative Assembly elections. In an interview, Balram said that he recognized the revolutionary AK Gopalan and then used the AKG and its policies to attack the CPI(M) leadership and its shortcomings. CPI(M)’s MB Rajesh dedicated the victory to AKG and pocketed Balram. Balram also criticized Kerala’s first Chief Minister and communist icon Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad (EMS) and other senior CPI(M) leaders and found himself at odds with the Left sections of Kerala.
After the killing of two youth Congress workers in Kasargod, Kerala (Peria double murder) in 2019, allegedly by CPI(M) workers, VT Balram slammed the state’s literary circles and criticized them for taking a double standard in the murder case, for which the Kerala Sahitya Akademi did not honor his Facebook award. Meera had earlier posted an emotional post on Facebook recalling her time as a journalist and how difficult it was for her to meet the families of the dead and criticized various political parties for their role in the state’s long-running spate of killings. However, some Congress party workers criticized her for being soft on the CPI(M), and Balram personally called out Meera for her silence; This led to a verbal spat between the two and things took an ugly turn when a comment made by the then MLA in a rather offensive tone acted as an invitation to a section of agitated Congress party workers who took to the author’s social media page and abused him. Meera, after being heavily trolled on social media, mentioned the profanity used by Congress workers and called out VT Balram. This online drop was condemned by CPI(M) leaders and other popular literary figures of the state. KR Meera, in 2021, joined the election campaign of CPI(M)’s MB Rajesh, who contested and defeated VT Balram in the state legislative assembly elections.
assets and properties
movable assets
- Deposits in banks, financial institutions and non-bank financial companies: Rs. 9,78,402
- Bonds, bonds and shares in companies: Rs. 15000
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 11,82,396
real estate
- Agricultural land: Rs. 2,40,000
- Non-agricultural land: Rs. 4,60,000
- Residential buildings: Rs. 9,16,666
Note: The given valuations of movable and immovable property are given as of 2021. It excludes assets owned by his spouse and dependents (minors).
Net worth
In 2021, Balram’s net worth was estimated at Rs. 41,47,000. It excludes the net worth of his spouse and dependents (minors).
Facts/Trivia
- Balram supported the Brazil national football team at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
- In his free time, he likes reading, cartoons and traveling.
- Balram owns a Toyota Innova Crysta (diesel) automatic.
VT Balram with his car
Categories: Sports
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
