THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM state leadership has reinstated V Joy as Thiruvananthapuram district secretary, brushing aside opposition from two senior party leaders who sought to prevent the Varkala MLA from returning to the key organisational post.
Joy had temporarily vacated the position after being fielded in the assembly poll, with MP A A Rahim taking charge. The state secretariat recently decided to restore Joy to the post.
However, party sources said senior leaders V Sivankutty and Kadakampally Surendran opposed the move. They reportedly argued that it was inappropriate for Joy to simultaneously hold both legislative and organisational responsibilities.
According to CPM sources, after becoming aware of their opposition, Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan directed state secretary M V Govindan to convene a meeting of state committee members from the district on Tuesday.
Sivankutty, Surendran, T N Seema, Joy and Rahim attended the meeting. During the discussion, Surendran reportedly proposed Sivankutty’s name for the post.Govindan, however, said the state secretariat had already decided that Joy should continue in the post. The leadership maintained that Joy had been elected to the position at the last district conference and should remain in office till a successor is chosen.
Meanwhile, several leaders strongly opposed the attempt by Sivankutty and Surendran to influence the selection process, viewing it as a bid to retain control over the organisation despite both leaders having lost in the assembly election.
“Neither Sivankutty nor Surendran is a member of the district committee,” a CPM leader said. “They attend district committee meetings only in their capacity as state committee members. Since the district secretary is chosen by the district committee, neither can claim a role in the selection process.”
At the district committee meeting on Wednesday, Govindan conveyed the state secretariat’s decision. Sivankutty was conspicuously absent.
During the meeting, three leaders — Jayadevan, B S Anilkumar and Rajendra Kumar — argued that a new secretary should be chosen, contending that Joy would find it difficult to discharge both his duties. However, the district committee ultimately endorsed Joy’s return to the post unanimously.