The Hindu : Front Page : New CPI(M) panel to be elected today

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Thursday, Feb 14, 2008
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New CPI(M) panel to be elected today

C. Gouridasan Nair

Outgoing committee has seven vacancies
New faces likely to be included on the panel

KOTTAYAM: The 19th State conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will draw to a close on Thursday after electing a new State committee.

Going by available indications, the new State committee will have more persons supporting CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. The size of the committee is likely to remain 80. The outgoing committee has seven vacancies, six of them caused by deaths and one resulting from the disciplinary action taken against N.N. Krishnadas, MP.

The reconstitution of the State committee is also likely to result in the exclusion of a few aged and ailing leaders.

Barring one or two, all these vacancies are likely to be filled with persons loyal to Mr. Vijayan. Persons who are tipped to make their debut in the State committee include CPI(M) Thrissur district secretary Baby John, Wayanad district secretary C.K. Saseendran, Thiruvananthapuram district secretary Kadakampally Surendran, DYFI president P. Sreeramakrishnan, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) State secretary K.K. Shylaja and president T. N. Seema, Students’ Federation of India president K.K. Ragesh and State president Sindhu Joy and V.N. Vasavan, MLA.

The discussion on the State secretary’s report to the conference was reflective of the relative strengths of the rival factions in the party and what has been widely described as the near-total isolation of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan among the delegates to the conference.

Discussion ends

As many as 56 of the 561 delegates had taken part in the discussion. Party general secretary Prakash Karat and Mr. Vijayan replied to the discussion.

Briefing reporters about the discussion, LDF convener and conference organising committee chairman Vaikom Viswan said the discussion was a critical and self-critical evaluation of the performance of the party during the last three years after the Malappuram conference and the functioning of the Left Democratic Front government over the last 21 months. Asked whether there was any criticism of the Chief Minister, particularly about his decision not to attend the Cyber City foundation-laying ceremony, Mr. Viswan said there was no such criticism.

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