The Council of Ministers (1962–64) of Legislative Assembly, Kerala state (better known as the R. Sankar ministry was the Council of Ministers, the executive wing of state government, in the Indian state of Kerala. The ministry was led by Indian National Congress leader R. Sankar from 26 September 1962 to 10 September 1964 and had 11 ministers.
Deputy Chief R. Sankar was elevated to the post of Chief Minister when the incumbent Chief Minister Pattom A. Thanu Pillai was appointed as Governor of Punjab.
R Sankar Ministry | |
|---|---|
 3rd Cabinet of Kerala | |
| 26 September 1962 – 10 September 1964 | |
| Date formed | 26 September 1962 |
| Date dissolved | 10 September 1964 |
| People and organisations | |
| Head of government | R. Sankar |
| Member party | Indian National Congress |
| Opposition party | Communist Party of India |
| History | |
| Election | 1960 Kerala Legislative Assembly election |
| Predecessor | Pattam Ministry |
| Successor | Second EMS Ministry |
Sankar held office for nearly 2 years before losing a no-confidence motion when dissenters within the Congress party split to form the Kerala Congress, following the resignation and subsequent death of P. T. Chacko. the Chacko loyalists in the Congress party grouped together and formed the Kerala Congress under the leadership of K. M. George with the blessings of Mannath Padmanabhan, NSS supremo.
Council of Ministers
| Minister | Ministry/Portfolio | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R. Sankar | Chief Minister | Indian National Congress |
| 2 | P. T. Chacko | Minister for Home Affairs (resigned with effect from 20 February 1964) | |
| 3 | K. A. Damodara Menon | Minister for Industries | |
| 4 | P. P. Ummer Koya | Minister for Local Administration, Fisheries & Public Works | |
| 5 | K. T. Achuthan | Minister for Transport & Labour | |
| 6 | E. P. Poulose | Minister for Food & Agriculture | |
| 7 | K. Kunhambu | Minister for Harijan Welfare & Registration | |
| 8 | D. Damodaran Potti | Minister for Public Works (resigned w.e.f. 8 October 1962) | Praja Socialist Party |
| 9 | K. Chandrasekharan | Minister for Law and Revenue (expired on 26 August 1962) | |
| 10 | M. P. Govindan Nair | Minister for Public Health (assumed office on 9 October 1962) | Indian National Congress |
| 11 | T. A. Thomman | Minister for Land Revenue, Law & Legislation (assumed office on 2 March 1964) |
Vote of No-Confidence
The controversial resignation of the then Home Minister P. T Chacko led to an outburst within the Congress party. With Chacko's failure to win the party presidentship and his subsequent death, 15 Congress MLAs split from the parent party under the leadership of K. M. George. The government which was running on a narrow majority subsequently went on to lose the no confidence motion 73-50.
Soon afterwards, dissenters from the Congress party subsequently formed a new party Kerala Congress. This had a major role on the fortunes of the Congress party in the 1965 assembly elections with the Congress securing 36 seats and the Kerala Congress 25 seats. The two parties together garnered nearly 45% of the vote share, evidently showing that a united Congress would have returned to power.
See also
References
- http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/Ministers%20Book%20Final.pdf
- "Official website of INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATION DEPARTMENT OF KERALA". prd.kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.