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{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{more citations needed|date = September 2020}}{{Infobox officeholder
| name = C. F. Thomas
| successor1 = Job Michael
| constituency1 = [[Changanassery (State Assembly constituency)|Changanassery]]
| image =
| term_end1 = {{End date|2020|09|27|df=yes}}
| term_start1 = {{Start date|1980||}}
| office1 = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member]] of the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]]
| alma_mater =
| office2 = Minister for Registration, Rural Development, Khadi and Village Industries, [[Government of Kerala]]
| termstart2 = {{Start date|2001|05|17|df=yes}}
| termend2 = {{End date|2006|05|12|df=yes}}
| predecessor1 = Joseph Chacko
| governor2 = {{Unbulleted_list|[[Sukhdev Singh Kang]]|[[Sikander Bakht]]|[[T. N. Chaturvedi]]<br>{{small|(Additional Charge)}}|[[R. L. Bhatia]]}}
| 1blankname2 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata2 = {{Unbulleted_list|[[A. K. Antony]]|[[Oommen Chandy]]}}
| party = [[Kerala Congress (M)]]
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|07|30|df=yes}}
| birth_name = Chennikkara Francis Thomas
| birth_place = [[Changanassery]], [[Travancore|Kingdom of Travancore]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br>(present day [[Kottayam district|Kottayam]], [[Kerala]], India)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|09|27|1939|07|30|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Thiruvalla]], [[Pathanamthitta district|Pathanamthitta]], [[Kerala]], India
}}<ref>{{Cite web|last=ലേഖകൻ|first=മാധ്യമം|date=2021-05-03|title=സി.എഫിന് കൊടുത്ത എം.എല്‍.എ സ്ഥാനം തിരികെപ്പിടിച്ച് എല്‍.ഡി.എഫ് {{!}} Madhyamam|url=https://www.madhyamam.com/kerala/job-michael-in-changanassery-793130|access-date=2021-05-03|website=www.madhyamam.com|language=en}}</ref>

'''Chennikkara Francis Thomas''' (30 July 1939 – 27 September 2020) was an Indian politician from [[Changanassery]] and member of the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]]. He was Minister for Rural Development in the [[third A. K. Antony ministry]] and the subsequent [[first Oommen Chandy ministry]]. He was also the Chairman of the [[Kerala Congress]] and later became its Deputy Chairman.

Before entering politics, he was a teacher at [[St. Berchmans Higher Secondary School]] in Changanassery from 1962 to 1980.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/05/06/stories/1506211s.htm |title=Tight fight in Kottayam district |publisher=Hinduonnet.com |date=2001-05-06 |accessdate=2010-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606103601/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/05/06/stories/1506211s.htm |archive-date=6 June 2011 |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/14/stories/2007011411290300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071127015606/http://www.hindu.com/2007/01/14/stories/2007011411290300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-11-27 |title=Installation of Corepiscopoi held |date=2007-01-14 |work=[[The Hindu]] |accessdate=2010-01-24}}</ref>

==Political career==
Thomas entered politics in 1956 as an activist of the [[Kerala Students Union]], the student wing of the [[Indian National Congress]]. He joined the [[Kerala Congress]] in 1964 and was a founder member of the party. He was elected to the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]] for 9 consecutive terms starting from 1980, representing [[Changanassery (State Assembly constituency)|Changanassery constituency]].

Thomas was a minister in the [[third A. K. Antony ministry]] and the subsequent [[first Oommen Chandy ministry]], holding the portfolios of Registration, Rural Development, Khadi and Village Industries.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Panda|first=Sushmita|date=2020-09-27|title=CF Thomas, veteran Kerala Congress leader and Changanassery MLA, dies|url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/cf-thomas-veteran-kerala-congress-leader-and-changanassery-mla-dies-652529|access-date=2020-09-27|website=www.indiatvnews.com|language=en}}</ref> He was the State Level General Secretary of [http://kcslstate.com/ Kerala Catholic Students League]. He was respected for his humility and simple lifestyle.

Starting political activities while a student, he joined Indian National Congress and then became Vice-President of Changanassery Town (West). He joined Kerala Congress on its formation and served as Secretary and President of Changanassery constituency; District Secretary, Kottayam; Member, State Executive Committee. He worked as General Secretary and Chairman of the [[Kerala Congress (Mani)|Kerala Congress (M)]].

Owing to the amalgamation of the three groups of Kerala Congress, he served as its Deputy Chairman. He allied with the [[P. J. Joseph]] faction of KC(M) after the party faced a rift following [[K. M. Mani]]'s death.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Changanassery MLA C F Thomas (81) passes away|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/changanassery-mla-c-f-thomas-81-passes-away-1.5086938|access-date=2020-09-27|website=Mathrubhumi|language=en}}</ref>

Thomas died at [[Thiruvalla]] [[Believers Church Medical College Hospital]] on 27 September 2020, at age 81, following a long illness.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/sep/27/kerala-congress-veteran-cf-thomas-mla-passes-away-2202541.html|title = Kerala Congress veteran CF Thomas MLA passes away|work = [[The New Indian Express]]|date = 27 September 2020|accessdate = 27 September 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, C. F.}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian educators]]
[[Category:Educators from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian Eastern Catholics]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian schoolteachers]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1991–1996]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1996–2001]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2001–2006]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2006–2011]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2011–2016]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2016–2021]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:People from Changanassery]]

{{Kerala-INC-politician-stub}}

C. F. Thomas - Revision history

->GreenC bot at 17:38, 24 October 2021