Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram: The country's longest-serving defence minister, A.K. Antony turned age 81 on Tuesday.

He carved his name into the history books after leading the Defense ministry for eight years, till 2014. He is currently serving in the Rajya Sabha for his fifth term, and he has previously stated that after his tenure ends next year, he will return to his home in the state capital city.

AK Antony has served as Kerala's Chief Minister three times, but has never been able to finish a full five-year tenure; the closest he came was when he headed the party as Leader of Opposition from 1996 to 2001. The Congress-led UDF won a landslide victory in the 2001 elections under his leadership, but a factional feud with K. Karunakaran and the party's annihilation in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections forced him to resign.

He was elected to the Upper House in 2005 and has been fully removed from State politics since then, despite the fact that the party's High Command always accepts his word when it comes to making key choices. He is noted for his austere lifestyle and strict adherence to rules.

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