K. M. Mani – India’s longest serving legislator and Kerala’s longest serving minister

K. M. Mani (1933-2019), fondly called Mani Sir was a veteran politician from the southern state of Kerala, who is credited as India’s longest serving legislator. He has been serving as the MLA of Pala state constituency since its inception in 1964 and till his death in 2019, thus serving long and unbroken 54 years as a legislator, highest among any legislators in the biggest democratic nation of the world – India. He also served 24 years as state minister of different portfolios which itself is highest among the politicians of Kerala. His name is also dubbed as ‘Godfather of all factions of Congress party within in the state’, and has joined both LDF and UDF in state legislature. He was the leader of Kerala Congress (M), and is also credited to presenting maximum number of financial budgets of the state of Kerala.

A stalwart of Kerala politics, Karingozhakkal Mani Mani was born in Pala, Kottayam into a Christian family. After his studies, his professional career began as a lawyer. His professional career began when he became the president of Congress Marangattupilli Ward Committee. Later he became Kottayam DCC Secretary. When the associates of P. T. Chacko, following his death, when left Congress party and formed Kerala Congress in 1964 he also joined the new party, and has been associated with it till his death. In 1965 he contested state assembly elections for the first time from the newly formed Pala Constituency, and has been representing the same for the past 54 years unbeaten.

He became the state minister for the first time in 1975 under C. Achuthanandan’s ministry, where he was given the portfolio – Finance. He presented his first budget in 1976 and is the longest serving Finance minister of Kerala. He presented his last finance budget in 2015. Apart from finance, he has handled revenue and law, electricity, irrigation and home affairs at different points of time, and is the longest serving Kerala minister. Also known as a politician who knows the pulse of voters, he used to switch between left and right affiliations throughout his political journey. All the development including construction of roads, public buildings and many schemes for poor of Pala constituency as a true representative earned him the fame of a popular figure across the state. He was serving as the Chairman of Kerala Congress (M) when he passed away.

K. M. Mani – Some interesting and unknown facts

1. A 13-time MLA, Mani has never lost any state election and has continuously contested in all state assembly elections since 1964 without any fail.

2. For the first time he contested in 1964 from Pala and has been continuously elected till 2016 assembly elections. He was the serving legislator of Pala when he passed away at the age of 86, thus serving unbroken 54 years as a legislator. It’s highest among any politicians across India.

3. He broke Gauri Amma’s record in February 2016 when he completed 17593 days as a legislator.

4. He won Pala constituency for the first time with a majority of 4703 votes, and has registered 13 continuous wins since then.

5. He presented the last budget of his lifetime in 2015 in Oommen Chandy’s ministry, and resigned from his ministry in 2016 following a 1-crore bribery allegation by bar owners in 2014.

6. On March 13, 2015, Assembly witnessed unprecedented violence over his 13th Budget presentation when left groups caused a lot of destructions within the legislative assembly, and the day is marked as a dark day of Kerala politics. Mani managed to wrap up the budget presentation in six minutes flat.

7. As a state minister he served the state for long 24 years, which is a state record.

8. He was Kerala’s finance minister for 13 times, the longest in history.

9. As a politician he took care of both the working-class rubber farmer and the upper middle-class entrepreneurs. While he introduced many pension schemes for poor, he gave importance to construction and infrastructure which benefitted the businessmen. It helped him to earn a good image in minority Christian dominated belts in central Kerala.

10. Even his associates have no idea when he got the name, Mani Sir. Many believe that people started addressing him so, soon after he became an MLA for the first time in the 1960s.

11. Mani’s theory of the toiling class earned him a lot of appreciation, and also acceptance from both UDF and LDF. Through his theory he urged that both farmers and agricultural workers should stand together for the development of agriculture sector of Kerala.

12. Through his efforts, he lifted the small town Pala best known for rubber business and placed it in national focus.

13. Mani lost the opportunity to adorn the chair of Kerala CM thrice in his lifetime for different reasons.

14. He introduced poor patients helping scheme ‘Karunya’, and Karunya state lottery is a part of it.

15. His son, Jose K. Mani is a Rajya Sabha MP supported by the Congress.