T. M. Jacob

By Annu Mathew

 T.M. Jacob, the leader of Kerala Congress (Jacob), a splinter faction of Kerala Congress. He is a former MLA of Kerala Legislative Assembly from Piravom constituency in Ernakulam district. Jacob is a former Education Minister in the Government of Kerala. He was also the Irrigation and Water Supply Minister in the UDF Government, which was elected into power in 2001 and was headed by A. K. Antony. He is a Christian belonging Syriac Orthodox Church.

 Now it is for the eighth time that he is being elected to the Assembly from Piravom. It is his fourth tenure as a minister.

His entry into active politics was through Kerala Students Congress (KSC). It is after a long time span of seven years that he is now back into power. In the 2006 assembly elections he was defeated by M.J. Jacob in Piravom.  Interestingly in the recent 2011 elections, he has been elected to the assembly by defeating the self-same M.J. Jacob. As the education minister, he passed the Pre-Degree Board Bill and as the Irrigation and Water Supply Minister the policy he followed was noted.