Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader K.P. Unnikrishnan died on March 3, 2026, at the age of 89 after treatment for age-related ailments. He represented the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency for 25 years, the longest in Kerala's history. Unnikrishnan is remembered for his role in evacuating Indians from Kuwait during the Gulf War.
K.P. Unnikrishnan, a veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister, passed away in the early hours of March 3, 2026, at a private hospital in Kozhikode, where he had been receiving treatment for age-related ailments. He was 89 years old and is survived by his wife Amrita and two daughters.
Born on September 20, 1936, in Koyilandy, Kozhikode, to a family of freedom fighters, Unnikrishnan entered politics early, aligning with the socialist wing of the Congress party. He was an initial supporter of Indira Gandhi but parted ways after the Emergency and disagreements with Sanjay Gandhi.
Unnikrishnan holds the record for the longest representation of a single Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, serving as MP for Vadakara from 1971 to 1996 across three parties. He first entered the Upper House of Parliament in 1971 on a Congress ticket and won subsequent Lok Sabha elections in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1991, initially with Congress (U) and later Congress (S). He rejoined the Congress in 1995 but lost the 1996 election to O. Bharathan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
During his tenure, Unnikrishnan served as Union Minister for Telecommunications, Shipping, and Surface Transport in the V.P. Singh cabinet from 1989 to 1990. A notable achievement was leading the evacuation of over 1.5 lakh Indians, predominantly Keralites, from Kuwait amid the Gulf War. Defying cabinet advice, he negotiated directly with Iraq's then-President Saddam Hussein at his hiding place to secure their safe return.
His political career spanned decades, marked by shifts in party affiliations and significant contributions to national and regional politics.
