

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The CPI on Tuesday elected a 21-member state executive with the official faction maintaining a clear upper hand. K Prakash Babu and Sathyan Mokeri will continue as state assistant secretaries. Minister VS Sunil Kumar and other senior leaders from the Ismail faction were dropped. However, C Divakaran and C N Chandran who were dropped from the national council at the party congress were retained in the state executive. Kamala Sadanandan, P K Krishnan and V B Binu were also dropped while A K Chandran, P Vasantham, Rajaji Mathew Thomas and P P Suneer are the new entrants.
K R Chandramohan has been elected as state treasurer. C P Murali of Kannur has been elected as the state control commission chairman. Later, a commission meeting chaired by state secretary Kanam Rajendran elected J Udayabhanu of Kollam as their secretary. The state council, which met for the first time after the 23rd party congress, under K P Rajendran, elected the new executive. CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran, central secretariat member Binoy Viswam, central control commission chairman Pannian Raveendran and national executive member K E Ismail attended the meeting.
The new executive members are Kanam Rajendran, K Prakash Babu, Sathyan Mokeri, E Chandrasekharan, K P Rajendran, C N Jayadevan, J Chinchurani, P Vasantham, N Rajan, C A Kurian, T Purushothaman, C Divakaran, C N Chandran, V Chamunni, K Rajan, K R Chandramohan, Mullakkara Ratnakaran, P Prasad, A K Chandran, Rajaji Mathew Thomas and P P Suneer. The party state executive will hold its next meeting on June 5.