PM Modi wishes Kerala CM on his 80th birthday

New Delhi, May 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on his 80th birthday.

“Birthday greetings to Kerala CM Shri Pinarayi Vijayan Ji. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life,” the Prime Minister wrote on X.

Even though there are no celebrations to mark his birthday, a documentary about him is expected to be released, party sources said.

Vijayan was born on May 24, 1945, and was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 25, 2016. He was sworn in as the Chief Minister for the second time on May 20, 2021, and led the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front.

This was for the first time in the history of the state that a Chief Minister retained office after a five-year term.

At the age of 25, in 1970, Assembly election, Vijayan contested from Kuthuparamba and won the seat, making him Kerala's youngest legislator, a record still unbroken.

He was elected to the Assembly in 1970, 1977 and 1991 from Kuthuparamba, in 1996 from Payyanur and in 2016, 2021 from Dharmadom.

He became the state party secretary in 1998 and slowly became the undisputed leader before stepping down in 2015.

“During this period, he made sure he reduced his arch party rival V.S. Achuthanandan. The narrative within his party has started that he will win a third successive term,” a political analyst told IANS.

On Friday late evening, he led a mammoth party rally in the state capital city to culminate his statewide outreach programme, where he visited all 14 districts of the state, interacting with people to mark the fourth anniversary of his second term.

--IANS

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