THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: mid criticism against the district leadership over candidate selection and a failure to check Sangh Parivar growth in the state capital, the CPM will hold its extended district committee meet in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. There are indications that the district leadership could be revamped with fresh faces.
To be held in the presence of Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan at the Kovalam area committee office, a slew of senior leaders including Elamaram Kareem, P Jayarajan and P K Sreemathy will attend the two-day meet. Considering the left front’s poor show in the district, demands for a thorough introspection have emerged from within the party.
The state committee itself had assessed leadership failure here as one of the reasons for the electoral loss.
“The LDF had a poor show in the assembly elections, losing 11 of 13 sitting seats. Moreover, in the corporation area and in some other pockets, the BJP registered considerable growth. Whether the failure can be attributed solely to the district committee or be termed a part of a larger picture across the state is an important aspect,” a CPM leader pointed out.
Since the state leadership played a key role in candidate selection, it cannot shy away from its responsibility in that regard. District secretary V Joy had drawn criticism at the recently held extended state committee for simultaneously holding both organisational and parliamentary positions.
Chances are however low for the secretary to be replaced.
“Criticism had risen when he was chosen the district secretary while serving as an MLA. He was given the responsibility despite a general understanding that those in parliamentary positions should not be given organisational leadership. He later contested in both parliamentary and assembly polls. It’s a major organisational lapse. But it’s unlikely he’d be replaced,” a source said.
However, if discussions come up to that effect, Joy will have to step down, the source added. Meanwhile, there are indications that the district committee and the secretariat could be restructured with a few fresh faces. The likes of V K Madhu, Shiju Khan, E G Mohanan and S A Sundar could be considered for the secretariat. Similarly, a few area secretaries and former area secretaries could be accommodated in the district committee.