Alphons Kannanthanam (Indian Politician) Biography

Quick Info

Profession	Politician
Nationality	Indian
Date of Birth	08/08/1953
Age	73 years
Birthplace	Manimala, Kottayam District, Kerala

Latest News about Alphons Kannanthanam

03/09/2025

Alphons Kannanthanam was appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism and Minister of State for Electronics and IT in a recent Cabinet reshuffle. The 72-year-old former bureaucrat from Kerala, who previously held these roles with independent charge, continues to serve in the Modi government's third term.

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Bio/Wiki

Full name	Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam
Nickname	Alphy

Physical Stats & More

Height	170 cm
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Grey

Educational Qualification(s)

School	A Malayalam-medium village school, near Manimala, Kerala
College/University	North Eastern Hill University, Shillong Delhi University
Qualification	Master's degree in Economics from North Eastern Hill, Shillong LLB at Delhi University (1966)

Personal Life

Marital Status	Married
Spouse	Sheela Alphons (homemaker)
Marriage Date	26/10/1981
Religion	Christianity
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian

Relationships & More

Children

Adarsh Alphons (entrepreneur, artist, and philanthropist)
Akash Alphons

Parents

Father	K.V. Joseph (Teacher)
Mother	Brijith Joseph (humanitarian activist)

Siblings

Alphons
Raju
Roy
George
Paul (adoptive brother)
Jolly
Mercy
Cissy
Sophy
Preetha
Mini (adoptive sister)

Career

Political Party	Bharatiya Janata Party (March 2011-present)
Political Journey	In 2006, he became an independent MLA backed by the CPI(M) in Kerala. In March 2011, he joined the BJP. In 2017, he was appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and also became the Minister of State of the Ministry of Tourism which was an independent charge. In November 2017, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. In the 2019 Indian general elections, Alphons Kannanthanam became a National Democratic Alliance candidate from the Ernakulam constituency, but he was unsuccessful. In 2006, he resigned from the IAS to enter politics and was elected as an independent MLA from Kanjirappally in Kottayam District, Kerala, with the support of the Left Democratic Front, serving from 2006 to 2011. On 24/03/2011, he joined the BJP. On 26/06/2017, he was appointed a Member of the Committee constituted by the Government of India to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy. On 03/09/2017, he was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Tourism. On 09/11/2017, he was elected unopposed as a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.

Political Party

Bharatiya Janata Party (March 2011-present)

Political Journey

In 2006, he became an independent MLA backed by the CPI(M) in Kerala.
In March 2011, he joined the BJP.
In 2017, he was appointed as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and also became the Minister of State of the Ministry of Tourism which was an independent charge.
In November 2017, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
In the 2019 Indian general elections, Alphons Kannanthanam became a National Democratic Alliance candidate from the Ernakulam constituency, but he was unsuccessful.
In 2006, he resigned from the IAS to enter politics and was elected as an independent MLA from Kanjirappally in Kottayam District, Kerala, with the support of the Left Democratic Front, serving from 2006 to 2011.
On 24/03/2011, he joined the BJP.
On 26/06/2017, he was appointed a Member of the Committee constituted by the Government of India to prepare the final draft of the National Education Policy.
On 03/09/2017, he was appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Minister of State (independent charge) of the Ministry of Tourism.
On 09/11/2017, he was elected unopposed as a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.

Style Quotient

Car Collection

Nissan 2013 Model

Expensive Things/Valuables

He owns a painting worth Rs. 10 Lakhs

Money Factor

Assets/Properties

Movable

Cash	Rs. 5,00,000
Bank Deposits	Rs. 76,94,781
Motor Vehicles	Rs. 8,00,000
Bonds, Debentures and Shares in Companies	Rs. 3,26,11,566

Immovable

Agricultural Land	Rs. 4,12,48,980

Net Worth (approx.)

Rs. 8 Crores (as in 2017)

Social Media

Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/KJAlphons

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam earned his LLB from Delhi University in 1996 while serving as the Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority.
2. His father, K.V. Joseph, was a World War 2 veteran who later became a teacher.
3. Alphons served in the Indian Administrative Service for 27 years since his recruitment in 1979, securing the eighth position in the UPSC exam.
4. During his time as Kottayam’s district collector, Alphons initiated a successful literacy campaign leading to Kottayam becoming the first district in India to achieve 100% literacy, inspiring similar efforts nationwide.
5. In the 1990s, he was known as ‘The Demolition Man’ for overseeing the demolition of 14,310 illegal buildings and reclaiming land worth over Rs. 10,000 crores while serving as the Delhi Development Authority commissioner.
6. In 1994, Time magazine recognized Alphons as one of the 100 Young Global Leaders.
7. Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam is a published author of several books, including "Badlav Ke Liye" (1998), "India Mattathinte Muzhakkam" (2016), and "Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government" (2022).
8. Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam earned his LLB from Delhi University while serving as the Commissioner of the Delhi Development Authority.
9. Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam is a practicing advocate in the High Court of Kerala at Kochi and the Supreme Court of India.

Alphons Kannanthanam Politician Indian Manimala, Kottayam District, Kerala