Date formed 22 February 1960 Head of government Pattam A. Thanu Pillai | Date dissolved 26th September 1962 Member party Praja Socialist Party | |
Opposition party Communist Party of India Election(s) Kerala Legislative Assembly election, 1960 | ||
The Pattom A Thanupillai Ministry was a Kerala government ministry formed on 22 February 1960 and lasted till 26th September, 1962.
Background
After E M S Namboothiripad Government was dismissed, Kerala was under President rule. Elections were held to the legislative assembly on 1 February 1960.
Indian National Congress became the largest party with 63 seats in the assembly after the elections. Communists became the second largest party 26 seats and Praja Socialist Party (PSP) got 20 seats. Congress and PSP formed a coalition government, with Pattam A Thanu Pillai of PSP as the Chief Minister, and R Shankar from Congress as the Deputy Chief Minister. Even though PSP was a junior partner in the coalition, Pattam was chosen as the Chief Minister because of his seniority in Kerala's politics. Pattam previously held the posts of Prime Minister in the erstwhile Travancore state, and later the Chief Minister of Travancore-Cochin state.
Pattam resigned in 26 September 1962 when he was posted as the Governor of Punjab. This paved the way for the first Congress chief minister in Kerala under R. Sankar.