Political Life

2011

  • Minister for Forests & Environment, Sports and Cinema, Govt. of Kerala from 18th May 2011.
  • Hat-trick win from Pathanapuram in the 2011 Kerala Assembly Election
  • Victory margin : 20,402 votes
  • Political Party : Kerala Congress(B)
  • Opponent : K Rajagopal of CPM

2006 – 2011

  • Re-elected from Pathanapuram in 2006 with an increased margin of votes, despite the clear wave in favour of the CPI(M) – led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
  • Political party - Kerala Congress (B)
  • Only UDF winner from Kollam district
  • Victory margin: 11,814 votes
  • Opponent – K R Chandramohan of the CPI
  • Only film actor in the State Assembly

2001-2006

  • First elected to the Kerala Legislature in 2001 from the Pathanapuram constituency in Kollam district.
  • Political party – Kerala Congress (B), a constituent of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)
  • Election Symbol - Aeroplane
  • Victory margin – 9,931 votes
  • Opponent – K Prakash Babu of the Communist Party of India (CPI)
  • Ganesh Kumar wrested the seat from the CPI, becoming the first Malayalam film actor to win a seat in the State Legislature. (Today he remains the only actor to have made a debut in the Kerala Assembly.)
  • This was the first and only time in the history of Kerala that a father and son were both elected to the State Assembly.
  • R. Balakrishna Pillai, the illustrious father of Ganesh Kumar, was re-elected from Kottarakkara, a constituency which he had represented and nurtured for decades.
  • Became Minister for Surface Transport at the age of 34 and held office for two years before resigning to facilitate his father’s entry into the State cabinet.
  • Turned around the ailing KSRTC (Kerala State Road Transport Corporation) in record time.
  • Introduced many reforms in the transport sector.
  • Earned a reputation for providing a clean and efficient administration.
  • Executed development works to the tune of 78 crores in his home constituency.