The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday announced that Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan seek re-election from Malampuzha in Palakkad in elections scheduled for April 13.
Mr. Achuthanandan was overlooked till the last stage of candidate selection, triggering widespread protest in the State. On Friday, the party's Polit Bureau made a decisive intervention, culminating in the announcement.
The developments were reminiscent of the year 2006 when, under similar circumstances, the CPI(M) leadership initially left him out, but was forced to reconsider its decision after strong and widespread protest. Under Mr. Achuthanandan's leadership, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) romped home with a thumping majority.
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Like in 2006, Mr. Achuthanandan's candidature had been hanging fire for the past fortnight, mostly because of strong opposition to his re-nomination from the dominant section in the CPI(M). The Polit Bureau, which met in New Delhi over a week ago, discussed the issue at length, but left the decision to the State secretariat and the State committee.
However, at their meetings held in the presence of party general secretary Prakash Karat, the State secretariat and the State committee decided to overlook him, triggering demonstration in all districts and a strong backlash from several district committees, most notably the Kannur district committee controlled by the dominant faction of the party.
The Polit Bureau once again went into a huddle in New Delhi on Friday to consider the issue afresh and decided that Mr. Achuthanandan was the right person to lead the party.
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CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan announced Mr. Achuthanandan's candidature with those of other party nominees at a news conference here shortly after the Polit Bureau communicated its decision to the State leadership.
The party has re-nominated eight Ministers, along with Speaker K. Radhakrishnan. Most prominent among the Ministers in the fray are Polit Bureau member and Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who will contest from Thalassery in Kannur district; Education and Culture Minister M.A. Baby, who is in the fray in Kundara in Kollam district; and Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac, who has been fielded in Alappuzha town.
The division of seats in the LDF for the 140 seats is as follows: the CPI(M)-93, the CPI-27, the Janata Dal(Secular)-5, the RSP and the NCP-4 each, the Indian National League (INL) and the Kerala Congress (P.C. Thomas)-3 each and the Congress (S)-1.