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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Kodiyeri Balakrishnan 
| image               = KodiyeriBalakrishnan.jpg
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1953|11|16}}
| death_date          = 
| birth_place         = [[Kodiyeri]], [[Malabar district]], [[Madras State]] (now in [[Thalassery]], [[Kannur district|Kannur]], [[Kerala]]), India 
| nationality         = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| residence           = 
| office              = Secretary of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] [[Kerala State]] Committee
| term_start          = {{start date|2015|02|23|df=yes}}
| term_end           =  {{end date|2020|11|13|df=yes}}
| predecessor         = [[Pinarayi Vijayan]]
| successor           = [[A. Vijayaraghavan]]
| office2             = Member of [[Politburo]] of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
| term_start2         = {{start date|2008|04|03|df=yes}}
| constituency        = 
| office3             = [[V. S. Achuthanandan ministry|Minister of Home Affairs, Kerala]]
| term_start3         = {{start date|2006|05|18|df=yes}}
| term_end3           = {{end date|2011|05|16|df=yes}}
| predecessor3        = [[Oommen Chandy]]
| successor3          = [[Oommen Chandy]] 
| office4             = [[Kerala Legislative Assembly|Member of Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start4         = {{start date|2001}}
| term_end4           = {{end date|2016}}
| constituency4       = [[Thalassery (State Assembly constituency)|Thalassery]]
| term_start5         = {{start date|1982}}
| term_end5           = {{end date|1991}}
| constituency5       = [[Thalassery (State Assembly constituency)|Thalassery]]
| party               = [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
| alma_mater          = {{ubl|[[Mahatma Gandhi Government Arts College|Mahatma Gandhi Government Arts College, Mahé]]|[[University College Thiruvananthapuram|University College, Thiruvananthapuram]]}}
| spouse              = {{Marriage|S. R. Vinodini|1980}}
| children            = 2
| parents             = Kunjunni Kurup<br>Narayani Amma
}}

'''Kodiyeri Balakrishnan''' (born 16 November 1953) is an Indian politician hailing from [[Kerala]]. He was the Secretary of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] Kerala State Committee from 2015 to 2020, the highest office within the party at the state level.<ref name="hindu01">{{Cite news|author=Staff Reporter|date=2018-02-26|title=Kodiyeri re-elected CPI(M) State secretary|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/kodiyeri-re-elected-cpim-state-secretary/article22854899.ece|access-date=2020-09-02|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> He is presently the Chief Editor of the Malayalam Newspaper [[Deshabhimani]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deshabhimani.com/english/news/kerala/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-is-deshabhimani-chief-editor/4186|title = Kodiyeri Balakrishnan is Deshabhimani Chief Editor}}</ref>

During the year 2001&ndash;2006 and from 2011&ndash;2016 in the [[United Democratic Front (India)|United Democratic Front]] (UDF) government in Kerala, he was the deputy opposition leader of the [[Left Democratic Front (Kerala)|Left Democratic Front]] (LDF). During the [[V. S. Achuthanandan ministry|2006{{endash}}11 V. S. Achuthanandan Ministry]], he was the Minister of Home Affairs and Tourism.<ref name="hindu01" />

==Political life==
He entered politics through the students wing of CPI(M) in 1970. He was Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the [[Students' Federation of India]] (SFI) and its All India Joint Secretary between 1973 and 1979. During the time of [[The Emergency (India)|the emergency]], Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was imprisoned under [[Maintenance of Internal Security Act|MISA]] for 16 months.<ref name="niyamasabha">{{cite web |title=KERALA LEGISLATURE - MEMBERS Shri. KODIYERI BALAKRISHNAN |url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/13kla/members/kodiyeri_balakrishnan.htm |website=Niyamasabha |access-date=2 November 2020}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1982, he was the [[Kannur district|Kannur District]] President of [[Democratic Youth Federation of India]] (DYFI). At present, he is a [[Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPI (M) Politburo]] member and was CPI (M) Parliamentary Party Deputy Leader. He was elected as an [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]] to [[Kerala Legislature|Kerala Legislative Assembly]] in 1982, 1987, 2001, 2006 and 2011 from [[Thalassery (State Assembly constituency)|Thalassery]].<ref name="hindu01" />
On 23 February 2015, he was elected as the Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Kerala State Committee for a period of 3 years.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Kodiyeri Balakrishnan new CPI(M) state Secretary in Kerala|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-new-cpim-state-secretary-in-kerala/articleshow/46341835.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2020-09-02}}</ref> He was re-elected for a Second term as a State Secretary in 2018. He was ''Minister of Home affairs of Kerala'' during the time of V S Achudanandan Ministry.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Gets Second Term as Kerala CPI-M State Secretary|url=https://www.news18.com/news/politics/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-gets-second-term-as-kerala-cpi-m-state-secretary-1671977.html|access-date=2020-09-02|website=News18|date=25 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="niyamasabha" />

==Personal life==
He was born in [[Kodiyeri]], [[Thalassery]] to Kunjunni Kurup and Narayani Amma on 16 November 1953. He studied in Kodiyeri Junior Basic School and Oniyan High School. He became active in politics while studying at [[Mahatma Gandhi Government Arts College|Mahatma Gandhi Government Arts College, Mahé]] and was active in [[University College Thiruvananthapuram|University College, Thiruvananthapuram]].<ref name="niyamasabha" />

In 1980, he married S. R. Vinodini, daughter of ex-[[Member of Legislative Assembly|MLA]] M. V. Rajagopalan Master<ref name="niyamasabha" /> and has two children, Binoy Kodiyeri<ref>{{cite news |title=Kerala CPI-M secretary's son appears before police, agrees to DNA test |url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/kerala-cpi-m-secretarys-son-appears-before-police-agrees-to-dna-test |access-date=2 November 2020 |agency=National Herald |date=8 July 2019}}</ref> and Bineesh Kodiyeri.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Peter |first1=Petlee |title=Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kerala CPI-M leader, held by ED in Bangalore |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/bineesh-kodiyeri-son-of-kerala-cpi-m-leader-held-by-ed-in-bengaluru/articleshow/78930327.cms |access-date=2 November 2020 |agency=Times of India |date=29 October 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

*[http://cpim.org/content/kodiyeri-balakrishnan Biography of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on the CPIM website]
{{Left Democratic Front (Kerala)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balakrishnan, Kodiyeri}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:People from Thalassery]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1982–1987]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1987–1991]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2001–2006]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2011–2016]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2006–2011]]


{{Kerala-CPIndiaMarxist-politician-stub}}