K B Ganesh Kumar is currently the Minister for Forests & Environment, Sports and Cinema in the Government of Kerala. He has won three consecutive elections to the State Legislative Assembly from the Pathanapuram constituency in Kollam district.
Born in 1966 with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, this young man studied Commerce at the Government Arts College, Trivandrum, while embarking on a film career in Mollywood. He made his debut in the 1985 film "Erakal" directed by K G George. A man of great versatility and impeccable taste, Ganesh Kumar has acted in a variety of Malayalam films and television serials. In May 2008, he performed a daring fire escape act at Kozhikode for the telefilm “Agnisakshiyay." In November 2008 he won the State Award for Best Television Actor (2007) for his role in the serial "Madhavam", aired on Surya TV.
In 2001, Ganesh Kumar was elected to the Kerala Assembly from Pathanapuram on the Kerala Congress (B) ticket. This was the first time in the history of Kerala that a cine artiste had been elected to the Assembly. His father and former Minister, R Balakrishan Pillai had also been elected from the neighbouring constituency of Kottarakara, which he had represented for several decades. The father-son duo made history by becoming the first such pair to adorn the Kerala Assembly simultaneously.
Ganesh Kumar was appointed as Transport Minister in the A K Antony cabinet in May 2001. He surprised many by his political acumen and went on to give a good account of himself. Though only 34 years old and a political novice, he turned around the ailing KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) in record time and earned a reputation for providing a clean and efficient administration. In March 2003, he stepped down from his ministerial post to facilitate his father’s induction into the Cabinet.
In the 2006 Assembly elections, Ganesh Kumar was once again elected from Pathanapuram. This time he was the only UDF candidate elected from Kollam district, where the LDF won 11 out of 12 seats. His increased victory margin clearly indicated that his popularity remained undiminished.
Ganesh Kumar’s hat-trick win from Pathanapuram in the 2011 elections saw him increasing his lead to 20,402 votes. This time the CPI had surrendered the ticket to the CPM, but the candidate, K Rajagopal, Kollam District Secretary and veteran Marxist proved to be no match for the immensely popular sitting MLA.
Ganesh Kumar went on to become a Minister in the Oomen Chandy cabinet in May 2011. He has diverse interests and his over-riding fascination for vehicles includes transport buses and even pachyderms.
