Vakkom Purushothaman

{{Short description|Indian politician (1928–2023)}}

{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = His Excellency

| name = Vakkom Purushothaman

| image = File:Vakkom Purushothaman inaugurating the Bharat Nirman Flagship Programme Photo Exhibition, Organised by DAVP, in Aizawl Mizoram on April 23, 2012. The Mizoram Information Minister, Shri Zodintluanga is also seen.jpg

| caption = Purushothaman (center) in 2012

| order = 9th

| office = Governor of Mizoram

| 1blankname = Chief Minister

| 1namedata = Lal Thanhawla

| term_start = {{Start date|2011|09|02|df=yes}}{{cite news|title=Vakkom B Purusothaman new governor of Mizoram |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/vakkom-b-purusothaman-new-governor-of-mizoram/articleshow/9839329.cms |work=The Economic Times |date=2011-09-02|access-date=2011-09-08}}

| term_end = {{End date|2014|07|06|df=yes}}

| predecessor = Madan Mohan Lakhera

| successor = Kamla Beniwal

| order1 = 14th

| office1 = Governor of Tripura

| 1blankname1 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata1 = Manik Sarkar

| term_start1 = {{Start date|2014|06|30|df=yes}}

| term_end1 = {{end date|2014|07|14|df=yes}}

| predecessor1 = Devanand Konwar

| successor1 = Padmanabha Acharya

| order2 = 6th

| office2 = Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

| term_start2 = {{Start date|1993|03|19|df=yes}}

| term_end2 = {{end date|1996|03|18|df=yes}}

| predecessor2 = Surjit Singh Barnala

| successor2 = Ishwari Prasad Gupta

| office3 = Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly

| term3 = 2001–2004

| 1blankname3 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata3 = A. K. Antony

| predecessor3 = M. Vijayakumar

| successor3 = Therambil Ramakrishnan

| term4 = 1982–1984

| 1blankname4 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata4 = K. Karunakaran

| predecessor4 = A. C. Jose

| successor4 = V. M. Sudheeran

| office5 = Minister of Finance and Excise, Government of Kerala

| term5 = 2004–2006

| 1blankname5 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata5 = Oommen Chandy

| predecessor5 = K. Sankaranarayanan

| successor5 = T. M. Thomas Isaac

| office6 = Minister of Health and Tourism, Government of Kerala

| term6 = 1980–1981

| 1blankname6 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata6 = E. K. Nayanar

| predecessor6 = K.P. Prabhakaran (Health)

| successor6 = R. Sundaresan Nair

| office7 = Minister of Agriculture and Labour, Government of Kerala

| term7 = 1971–1977

| 1blankname7 = Chief Minister

| 1namedata7 = C. Achutha Menon

| predecessor7 = Baby John (Labour)
N.K. Balakrishnan (Agriculture)

| successor7 = Oommen Chandy (Labour)
K. Sankaranarayanan (Agriculture)

| office8 = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha

| term8 = 1984–1991

| constituency8 = Alappuzha

| predecessor8 = Susheela Gopalan

| successor8 = T. J. Anjalose

| office9 = Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly

| constituency9 = Attingal

| term9 = 2001–2006

| predecessor9 = Anathalavattom Anandan

| successor9 = Anathalavattom Anandan

| constituency10 = Attingal

| term10 = 1970–1984

| predecessor10 = K. P. K. Das

| successor10 = P. Vijayadas

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1928|04|12|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Vakkom, Kingdom of Travancore, British India
(present-day Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India)

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|07|31|1928|04|12|df=y}}

| death_place = Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

| nationality = Indian

| spouse = Dr. Lily Purushothaman

| children = 3

| profession =

| party = Indian National Congress

| footnotes =

}}

Vakkom B. Purushothaman (12 April 1928 – 31 July 2023) was an Indian politician who served as the Governor of Mizoram from 2011 to 2014, Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, state minister and Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Vakkom B. Purushothaman was born at Vakkom near Trivandrum, the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore, on 12 April 1928, as the eldest son of Bhanu Panicker and Bhavani Amma. He was also the grandson of Pappu Tharakan, a notable businessman in Travancore.{{Cite web|title=Members - Kerala Legislature|url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/members/m520.htm|access-date=2021-03-12|website=www.niyamasabha.org}}

He started his political life as an active worker of the Students' Congress (now called Kerala Students Union) in 1946, he became a member of Vakkom Panchayat in 1953. Later, he served as President of the District Congress Committee, Thiruvananthapuram and the General Secretary and Vice–President of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. He has been a member of All India Congress Committee for over 35 years.{{cite web |url=http://www.stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/vakkom%20purushothaman.php |title=VakkomPurushothaman |publisher=stateofkerala.in |access-date=6 September 2011 |archive-date=15 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111015021633/http://stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/vakkom%20purushothaman.php |url-status=dead }}