Who was Aryadan Mohammed?

Senior Congress leader Aryadan Mohammed died in Kozhikode on Sunday morning, according to an announcement from All India Radio News. He was 87.

Mohammed was undergoing treatment over the past week for an unspecified illness at a private hospital in Kozhikode. His funeral will be held on Monday. His body is set to be taken to Nilambur on Sunday where supporters will be able to pay their respects, his son Aryadan Shoukath told reporters, adding that his father had been in the ICU since he was admitted to the hospital. 

Leaders from both sides of the political aisle put out messages condoling the loss of the senior legislator. The Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan offered his condolences as well.

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Who is Aryadan Mohammed?

Aryadan Mohammed was a senior Congress leader best known for his time spent as the Minister of Electricity and Transport in the government of Kerala under the administration of Oommen Chandy. 

He was born on May 15, 1935 to his parents Unneen and Kadiyamunni. Mohammed’s foray into politics came in 1952 when he joined the Indian National Congress. Six years later in 1958, he joined the the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee serving various roles in the organisation before being made the General Secretary. 

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Mohammed was first elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1977 and then again in 1980 through a by-election. Shortly after, he began to represent the Nilambur constituency in Kerala’s Legislative Assembly and was elected consistently from 1986 to 2011 for a total of eight times. 

He served as the Minister for Labour and Forests in Chief Minister E.K. Nayar’s ministership from January 1980 to October 1981. Later, from April 1995 to May 1996, he served as the  Minister for Labour and Tourism under A.K. Antony. 

He also held different portfolios under two Oommen Chandy administration’s, initially holding the Electricity and Transport Ministry from 2004 to 2006 and then later the Ministry of Power and Transport from 2011 to 2016.