Kadakampally Surendran

Kadakampally Surendran is a Kerala senior CPI(M) leader and a former minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet, who, among others, was the minister in charge of co-operation, tourism, and devaswom. He was influenced by student politics to enter public life and also played a significant role in cultural and youth movements in the Thiruvananthapuram district. He held various positions in the party, like KSYF Unit Secretary (the precursor of DYFI), Kadakampally Panchayat Secretary, Taluk Secretary, and Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary.

Joining CPI(M) in 1974, he progressed through the ranks, starting with Anayara branch secretary and passing through Petta local committee secretary, Vanchiyoor area committee secretary, and finally up to a district committee member and a district secretariat member. In 2007, he was elected Thiruvananthapuram District Secretary. He was arrested during the Emergency for three months while being a student. Surendran has also been on the CITU All India General Council and participated in local government as a Kabadakampally Grama Panchayat (1977–1982) member and Vice-President.

In 1991, he won the Thiruvananthapuram District Council elections by a wide margin. In 1996, he ran a campaign in the Kazhakoottam Assembly constituency for the first time and was appointed as the Backward Community Welfare Committee Chairman. He lost to M.A. Wahid in 2006, but won back the seat in 2016 by defeating the BJP's V. Muraleedharan. The Library Council also saw Kadakampally Surendran as District President; he was the State Co-operative Bank President and a Kerala University Syndicate member.

From 2016 until 2021, he was a minister for cooperation, tourism, and Devaswom in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet, responsible for development and governance in these sectors through various initiatives.

In the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections, he was again elected from Kazhakoottam, thereby again becoming a member of the legislature. Since 2021, he has been a powerful CPI(M) figure taking part in party organisation, state policy discussions, and constituency development, and has also worked as District President of the Library Council, President of the State Co-operative Bank, and a member of the Kerala University Syndicate, thus being instrumental in the uplift of educational, cultural, and cooperative institutions.