Binoy Viswam

"Viswam" redirects here. For the film, see Viswam (film).

Binoy Viswam is an Indian politician who was a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) from Kerala representing the Communist Party of India (CPI) and was its Parliamentary Party leader.^[1][2][3] A member of the CPI National Secretariat, he is currently the State Secretary of CPI Kerala State Committee, the Editor of New Age Weekly - the central organ of CPI and the Working President of the All India Trade Union Congress.^[4] He served as the Minister for Forests & Housing in the Government of Kerala during 2006–2011.^[5] He was earlier elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Nadapuram constituency and served as Member, Estimates Committee; chairman, Assurance Committee; and was one of the five members of the Constituency Delimitation Committee. He is a senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and the president of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation Employees' Federation.

Binoy Viswam
Viswam in 2010
Leader of the Communist Party of India in the Rajya Sabha
In office 24 July 2019 – 1 July 2024
Preceded by	D. Raja
Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha for Kerala
In office 2 July 2018 – 1 July 2024
Preceded by	P. J. Kurien
Succeeded by	Jose K. Mani
Minister for Forests and Housing, Kerala
In office 18 May 2006 – 18 May 2011
Preceded by	A. Sujanapal
Succeeded by	K. B. Ganesh Kumar
Constituency	Nadapuram
Member of Legislative Assembly, Kerala
In office 2001–2011
Preceded by	Sathyan Mokeri
Succeeded by	E. K. Vijayan
Constituency	Nadapuram
State Secretary of the Communist Party of India, Kerala State Council
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 December 2023 (2023-12-10)
Preceded by	Kanam Rajendran
Personal details
Born	(1955-11-25) 25 November 1955 (age 69) Vaikom, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Political party	Communist Party of India
Spouse	Shaila C. George
Children	2
Parent	C. K. Viswanathan (father)
Residence(s)	Muthuchippy, Thondayad, Nellicode P.O., Kozhikode, Kerala, India-673016
Education	Education Qualifications: B.A., L.L.B. Educated at St. Paul's College, Kalamassery, Maharaja's College, Ernakulam and Kerala Law Academy, Law College, Trivandrum

Early life and political career

Binoy was born to C.K. Viswanathan and Omana on 25 November 1955 in Vaikom, Kottayam.^[1][6] He entered politics from his school days through the All India Students Federation (AISF) as Unit Secretary of AISF in Vaikom Government Boys High School. He was also elected as Union Chairman of St. Paul's College, Kalamassery. He was elected as a member of the Kerala University Union and a syndicate member of Cochin University of Science and Technology.

Later he became State President and All India Secretary of AISF. He also was elected as State Secretary of the All India Youth Federation (AIYF). He served as vice president of the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and also head of its Asia Pacific Commission. He became a CPI member at the age of 18. He was a member of the National Council of CPI during the period 1992–98. He also served as Kerala Agricultural University Senate Member and Director Board Member of KTDC. After the demise of Kanam Rajendran, he was elected as the secretary of the CPI Kerala state committee in 2023.

Personal life

Binoy Viswam is married to Shaila George. She worked in the Kerala Gramin Bank as an officer at Thiruvananthapuram. She has completed a course from the University of Nottingham, U.K., in creative writing. Both Binoy and Shaila are the children of two prominent Communist Party leaders. ^[7]

The couple has two daughters, Rasmi & Surya. Rasmi is working at The Hindu. Surya is a law graduate from Columbia University, New York, and is practicing at the Kerala High Court.

Binoy is the son of C.K. Viswanathan, who was a leader of the Communist Party of India. He was the assistant secretary of its state committee and is a well-known campaigner and strategist. Shaila is the daughter of Koothattukulam Mary, a party leader turned teacher.

See also

• Kerala Council of Ministers