It is a stronger administrator in G Sudhakaran's new avatar, all ready to strike

Alappuzha: Mr G. Sudhakaran, 65, has gone through several ups and downs in his career as a committed communist and has come up trumps again by becoming the minister-designate with the public works portfolio in the Pinarayi cabinet. It is indeed a recognition for his unblemished record as cooperation and devaswom minister in the previous V.S. Achuthanandan government.

Though he has drawn flak from several quarters for his acid tongue and his penchant for breaking into poetry to lampoon his detractors, he is also admired for his administrative skills and controlling corruption in his department last time. This should be an advantage for him in his new avatar as PWD minister with higher responsibility.

Born to an average family in Charummood, near Kayamkulam here, Mr Sudhakaran, MA LLB, came up in life through hard struggles. His father was the late P. Gopalakurup, a farmer, and mother is L. Pankajakshi Amma. This is for the fourth time that Mr Sudhakaran has become an MLA. He had earlier won from Ambalappuzha twice in 2006 and 2011 and Kayamkulam once. He was defeated in Kuttanad in 1982 and Ambalappuzha in 1987.

In his over 40 years of political life, he tasted defeat in the party forum once in connection with the district conference held at Haripad in 2002. As result, Mr Sudhakaran was asked to work as a member of the district organizing committee under Mr M.A. Baby, a junior to him, who was assigned as Alappuzha district secretary for 38 months. However, the disciplined worker later emerged stronger in the party.