K.P. Unnikrishnan, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader, passes away

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader KP Unnikrishnan passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, March 3, 2026. He was 89 years old. Mr. Unnikrishnan had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in the city for some time due to age-related ailments. He is survived by his wife Amrita and two daughters.

Mr. Unnikrishnan has the rare distinction of representing a Lok Sabha Constituency for the longest period in the political history of Kerala. He represented three political parties as the MP from Vadakara in Kozhikode from 1971 to 1996. He first entered the Upper House of Parliament in 1971 on a Congress ticket. Mr. Unnikrishnan later continued his winning streak in the 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991 elections. However, after 1977, he was part of Congress (U) and Congress (S). Although Mr. Unnikrishnan returned to the Congress in 1995, he failed to win another term when he lost to O. Bharathan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in the 1996 elections.

Mr. Unnikrishnan also served as Union Minister for Telecommunications, Shipping and Land Transport in VP Singh Cabinet from 1989 to 1990. During this time, he led the evacuation of more than 1.5 lakh Indians, mostly Keralites, from Kuwait during the Gulf War. Despite the cabinet’s advice against it, he went to the hideout of Iraq’s then-President Saddam Hussein and successfully negotiated their return.

Born on September 20, 1936, at Koyilandy in Kozhikode into a family of freedom fighters, Mr. Unnikrishnan was drawn to politics quite early in his life. He was part of the socialist movement of thought in the Congress and was a staunch supporter of Indira Gandhi during her early years in power. However, after having differences with Sanjay Gandhi after the Emergency, he parted ways with him.