 He was the Kerala state secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the president of "Kisan Sabha" at the time of his death.He was a member of the Lok Sabha of India representing the Cannanore (Lok Sabha constituency) from 1971 to 1980 and Thrissur (Lok Sabha constituency) from 2004 to 2009.Chandrappan served as Member of the Legislative Assembly of Kerala from 1991 to 1996 representing the Chertala Assembly Constituency.