K. C. Venugopal Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	Indian National Congress (INC)
Political Journey	• He joined the Indian National Congress in late 1990s. • He served as a Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2009, representing the constituency of Alappuzha. • He served as the Minister of State for Power from 20 January 2011 to 28 October 2012 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. • He held the position of Minister of State for Civil Aviation from 28 October 2012 to 26 May 2014 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. • He was a Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha, representing the constituency of Alappuzha, from 31 May 2009 to 23 May 2019. • He was the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee for Karnataka from 22 June 2018 to 11 September 2020. • He became the the General Secretary (Organisation) of the All India Congress Committee in 2019. • He became a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha on 19 June 2020 representing the constituency of Rajasthan. • He won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Alappuzha seat in Kerala.
Personal Life
Date of Birth	4 February 1963 (Monday)
Age (as of 2024)	61 Years
Birthplace	Kandonthar, Payyanur in the Kannur District of Kerala, India
Zodiac sign	Aquarius
Signature
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Payyanur, Kannur District of Kerala, India
School	Name not known
College/University	• Payyannur College, Kannur district • Calicut University, Calicut, Kerala
Educational Qualification	He completed a Master's degree of Science in Mathematics at Calicut University, Calicut, Kerala in 1986. He also holds a LLB degree. [1]Niyamasabha
Religion	Hinduism [2]Forward Press
Caste	Nair [3]Forward Press
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian [4]YouTube - Sansad TV
Address	Rajeevam, Pazhaveedu P.O., Alappuzha, District Kerala, Pin Code- 695004
Hobbies	• Reading • Writing • Listening to music
Controversies	Accused of sexually exploiting a women [5]The Indian Express The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) interrogated him in 2022 in relation to the alleged sexual exploitation in the 2012 Solar scam case that took place in Kerala. In 2013, the main culprit, who had deceived individuals by making false promises about solar solutions and shares in solar energy projects, wrote a letter to the top police officer in Kerala. In the letter, she accused Hibi Eden (who was an MLA at the time and is now an MP), K.C. Venugopal, former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, former minister A.P. Anil Kumar, Congress MP Adoor Prakash, and BJP leader A.P. Abdullah Kutty of sexually exploiting her. Initially, the case was reported to the local police; however, due to the accused's dissatisfaction with the local police investigation, the state government recommended the transfer of the case to the CBI, and in August 2021, the CBI took over the investigation.
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Asha Venugopal (Assistant Professor and Head of the English Department at VTM NSS College, Dhanuvachapuram, Thiruvananthapuram)
Children	Son- Gokul Venugopal Daughter- Parvati Venugopal
Parents	Father- Kunji Krishnan Nambi Mother- Janaki Amma
Siblings	He has one sister.
Favourites
Food	Fish Curry
Actor	Amitabh Bachchan
Actress	Rekha
Film	Sholay
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• Toyota Innova • Toyota Etios
Money Factor
Income (approx.)	Rs 9 lakhs Note: His income is for the financial year 2018-19. [6]MyNeta
Assets/Properties	Movable Assets Cash: Rs. 20,000 Bank Deposits: Rs. 3,94,541 Motor Vehicles: Rs. 18,08,140 Jewellery: Rs. 32,320 Immovable Assets Non-Agricultural Land: Rs. 32,00,000 Residential Buildings: Rs. 3,00,000 Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2019. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor). [7]MyNeta
Net Worth (approx.)	Rs. 2.7 crores Note: This net worth is for the financial year 2018-19. [8]MyNeta It excludes the net worth of his wife and dependents (minors).

Some Lesser Known Facts About K. C. Venugopal

• During his college days, he played volleyball and represented Payyanur College and Calicut University in University-level matches.

• His political journey began when he got involved in the Student Movement of the Indian National Congress. He held several positions within the Kerala Students Union (KSU), starting as a Unit President. Later on, he took on roles such as Thaliparamba Taluk Treasurer, Kannur District Secretary, State Vice President, and State Treasurer.
  

  K. C. Venugopal during his early political days

• Venugopal became the State President of KSU in 1988 and held the position for five years. He served as a University Union Councillor for four years, and later, he became a Kerala University Senate Member. From 1993 to 2000, he was the Youth Congress State President.
  

  K. C. Venugopal during his early days as a politician

• In 1991, he became famous when his mentor K. Karunakaran, who was the Chief Minister of Kerala, helped him get a Lok Sabha ticket from Kasaragod. Venugopal, who was 28 years old and serving as the president of the party’s student wing, lost the election by a small margin.
  

  K. C. Venugopal with his mentor K. Karunakaran

• In 1995, he had a public disagreement with Karunakaran over the suspension of Arjun Singh from their political party. While Karunakaran and others in their party held differing views, Venugopal openly supported Singh, causing a rift between him and Karunakaran.
  

  K. C. Venugopal with Rajiv Gandhi

• In March 1995, when A.K. Antony took over as Chief Minister, Venugopal had already distanced himself and aligned with a group of young leaders called the “third group.” Led by Ramesh Chennithala, G. Karthikeyan, and M.I. Shanavas, they identified as reformists or correctionists (“Thiruthalvaadi” in Malayalam). Their objective was to challenge the authority and dominance of both Karunakaran and Antony within the party.
  

  K. C. Venugopal with K. Karunakaran and A. K. Antony

• He won his first election to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1996 and went on to retain his seat in the following elections in 2001 and 2006. He also served as a minister in the government led by Oommen Chandy in 2004.
  

  K. C. Venugopal (centre) during his early political days

• In 2009, he became an MP in the Lok Sabha. By 2011, he had been appointed as a Union Minister of State. This appointment was significant as it aimed to garner support from the Nair community to which Venugopal belonged.

• Between 2009 and 2014, during the second term of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government, he held important positions as the Minister of State for Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Power.
  

  K. C. Venugopal with Sonia Gandhi

• Despite the Congress party’s overall poor performance in the 2014 elections, he emerged as one of the successful MPs from Kerala who secured their seats. As a result, he was entrusted with the role of the party’s whip.
  

  K. C. Venugopal (second from left) during a Congress party meeting

• He took on the role of General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on 29 April 2017. He convinced Rahul Gandhi to run for the 2019 elections from Wayanad in Kerala. Despite losing in Amethi, Rahul emerged as the winner in Kerala, showcasing Venugopal’s understanding of the political landscape in Uttar Pradesh.
  

  K. C. Venugopal with Rahul Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo Yatra

• He showcased his exceptional leadership skills by effectively managing the Congress War Rooms during several elections. His notable achievements include being elected as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on 19 June 2020. Moreover, his dynamic leadership led to a remarkable victory for the Congress party in the 2023 Karnataka state elections, securing a substantial majority of 135 seats out of 224.
  

  K. C. Venugopal with Rahul Gandhi and D. K. Shivakumar

  

  K. C. Venugopal during the protests against Modi Government

• In an interview, he said Rahul Gandhi is the most handsome MP (Member of Parliament), Hema Malini is the prettiest actress, Arun Jaitley speaks well, and Venkaiah Naidu gets angry easily. ^[9]YouTube – Sansad TV

• His father’s preference was for him to be an engineer or government employee, while his mother supported his aspiration to become a politician.
  

  K.C. Venugopal with his mother, Janaki Amma

• He enjoys singing and watching films with his wife during breaks from political campaigns.