Pattom A. Thanu Pillai

Pattom A. Thanu Pillai

Pattom A. Thanu Pillai (15 July 1885 - 27 July 1970) was a participant in the Indian independence movement who later served as the Chief Minister of Kerala from 22 February 1960 to 25 September 1962.

Born A. Thanu Pillai at Thiruvananthapuram, he was the son of Varadayyan and Eswari Amma. Since he came from the Pattom area of Thiruvananthapuram, he was called Pattom Thanu Pillai and was popularly referred to as just "Pattom".^{[citation needed]}

After gaining his degree he worked briefly as a lawyer before abandoning that in favour of involvement in the Indian National Congress. He became leader of Congress in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.^{[citation needed]}

The struggle for a responsible government in the princely state culminated in the ousting of the Diwan, Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer, who left the state on 19 August 1947.^{[citation needed]} Pillai was Prime Minister of Travancore (24 March 1948 to 22 October 1948).^{[citation needed]}

Pillai shifted his allegiance to the Praja Socialist Party (PSP) and between 16 March 1954 and 14 February 1955 was Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin,^{[citation needed]} which areas had been merged in 1949.^{[citation needed]}

The State of Kerala was formed on 1 November 1956 and the first state elections held there in March 1957 and resulted in a Communist Party-led administration.^{[citation needed]} Pillai was an MLA for Thiruvananthapuram II representing the PSP.^{[citation needed]}

The Communist-led government subsequently collapsed as a consequence of the movement known as the Vimochana Samaram (Liberation Struggle). Elections were held in 1960 and Pillai became the second Chief Minister of Kerala, as head of a PSP-Congress coalition administration. He held that post between 22 February 1960 and 26 September 1962.^{[citation needed]}

He was Governor of Punjab from 1962 until 1964, and Governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1964 to 1968.

References

Political offices
Preceded by none	Prime Minister of Travancore 1948– 1948	Succeeded by Parur T. K. Narayana Pillai
Preceded by A. J. John, Anaparambil	Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin 1954– 1955	Succeeded by Panampilly Govinda Menon
Preceded by E. M. S. Namboodiripad	Chief Minister of Kerala 1960– 1962	Succeeded by R. Sankar
Government offices
Preceded by Narahar Vishnu Gadgil	Governor of Punjab 1962 – 1964	Succeeded by Hafiz Muhammad Ibrahim
Preceded by S. M. Shrinagesh	Governor of Andhra Pradesh 1964 – 1968	Succeeded by Khandubai Kasanji Desai