KOCHI: Veteran trade unionist and former MLA M K Kannan on Saturday was elected the new secretary of the Communist Marxist Party (CMP). Kannan’s elevation as party secretary came at the CMP central council which met here. The election of the new CMP chief was necessitated by the demise of previous incumbent K R Aravindakshan.
After being elected the CMP chief, Kannan said the party had initiated merger talks with the CPM. ‘’ The 9th party congress will decide on the proposed merger with CPM. The policy of our party is to cooperate with all Communist parties and they should unite. There is no question of returning to the UDF fold,” he said.
Kannan, who entered politics through student agitations, had been jailed at Viyyur Central Prison during emergency and he had been incarcerated there till the withdrawal of emergency. He was barely 32 when he was elected to the Assembly from Thrissur on a CPM ticket. He has also been serving as the office-bearer of various trade unions.