M P Gangadharan Profile and Biography

Gangadharan was born on July 15, 1934 as the son of P Sankarapanikker and M Madhaviamma in Ramanattukara, Kozhikkode. He was very active in political and social activities earlier from his student days. After the studies, he practised as a lawyer in Manjeri and entered politics through PSP. In 1962, he left PSP and joined Indian National Congress.

He was popular as a good co-ordinator and administrator. He worked as DCC President of Malappuram, KPCC member and AICC member. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly from Nilambur constituency in a by-election in 1970. The same year, he was again elected from Nilambur, in general election. He then went on to represent Ponnani (1977-80), Pattambi (1980-82), and twice again Ponnani from 1982. He served as the irrigation minister in the K Karunakaran ministry of 1982-87, but was forced to resign in 1986 after a controversy over the marriage of his daughter. It was alleged that his daughter was not 18 at the time of her marriage.

Gangadharan was the chairman of the Committee on Estimates from 1973 to 1974. He served as the chairman of Subordinate Legislation Committee in the period 1976-77, and from 2001, as the chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Ethics. He has also served as the chairman of the Kerala Water Authority and the KTDC.

Gangadharan was elected for the last time to the Kerala Assembly in 2001 from Ponnani. Being a confidant of K Karunakaran, he quit the Assembly after Karunakaran formed the new party, Democratic Indira Congress (Kerala), following the extreme groupism. He contested the Assembly polls in 2006 to be beaten. He briefly worked in Sharad Powar led NCP then, following a merger of DIC and NCP , and unsuccessfully contested to the Lok Sabha from Thiruvananthapuram in 2009. When Karunakaran and later Muraleedharan rejoined Congress, he was left out of choice and also had to come back to the Congress. But the Congress denied him any position in the party and he continued as a common member.

Former Kerala minister M P Gangadharan passed away at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. He was 77. The cremation will be carried out at Shanthi Kavadom in Thycaud at 5 pm on Tuesday. Before that, his body will be kept for public homage at the KPCC headquarters.

Gangadharan had been admitted in the private hospital for a couple of weeks due to multiple ailments. MK Shantakumari is wife and Dinesh Gangadharan and Ramesh Kumar are sons. His daughter is Bindu.