K.P. Unnikrishnan

K. P. Unnikrishnan is a former Union Minister and an MP of Vadakara. Unnikrishnan first represented Vadakara constituency in 1971 as an Indian National Congress candidate. He remained unbeaten in the next five LS polls (1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, 1991) despite switching over to the Indian National Congress (Urs) in 1980 and later to Indian Congress (Socialist) in 1984. He had served as the Minister for Telecommunications in the V P Singh Cabinet (1989-90).

His first and final defeat in the constituency came in 1996. Unnikrishnan later quit active politics, shifted his base to New Delhi and then to his ancestral house at Panniyankara in Kozhikode, and immersed himself in reading and writing books. Apart from ill-health, Unnikrishnan’s decision to keep off politics was aided by group rivalry in the party.