The Hindu : Front Page : Achuthanandan to be fielded

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 25, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Achuthanandan to be fielded

Special Correspondent

No other major change in list, says Karat

V.S. Achuthanandan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bowing to popular sentiment and the demand articulated by a large number of people within and outside the party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday decided to field the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, V.S. Achuthanandan, in the coming Assembly elections.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told newspersons here late on Friday that the party Polit Bureau had decided to "reopen" the candidature after reviewing the situation following the earlier decision not to field Mr. Achuthanandan and CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.

Mr. Karat made the announcement after back-to-back meetings of the CPI(M) State secretariat and the State committee here to discuss Mr. Achuthanandan's candidature and finalise the list of candidates for the elections. He said the party would decide on the Left Democratic Front's Chief Ministerial candidate later. Mr. Vijayan, being the party State secretary, would not contest the election. However, LDF convener Paloli Mohammed Kutty would be in the fray and there would be no major changes in the list of candidates approved by the last meeting of the State committee, he added.

Asked why the Polit Bureau had decided to review its decision not to field Mr. Achuthanandan, Mr. Karat said it was done after hearing the views of various sections within the party. The Polit Bureau meeting held on March 15 and 16 decided not to field Mr. Achuthanandan and Mr. Vijayan. However, after taking stock of the situation, another meeting of the Polit Bureau was held on March 21 to discuss the issue. It agreed that a Polit Bureau team must meet the State secretariat and the State committee to review the decision, he said.

Asked whether the decision to field Mr. Achuthanandan was unanimous, he said the question did not arise in the party. The decision whether a particular leader must contest is not left to the individual concerned, but is collectively taken by the party. He said that as far as he knew, the persons who had staged demonstrations over the issue had no connection with the party. Mr. Karat said that the candidates' list would be released after the LDF State committee meeting on Saturday.

It was a hectic day for the CPI(M) leaders on Friday. Apart from Mr. Karat, the Polit Bureau was represented at Friday's meetings here by Sitaram Yechury, R. Umanath and S. Ramachandran Pillai. At the State secretariat meeting, which began in the morning, Mr. Karat presented the Polit Bureau decision and heard each member. Later, the Polit Bureau stance on fielding Mr. Achuthanandan was presented before the State committee and its endorsement secured.

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