KANNUR: For the CPM cadre in Kannur, the elevation of M V Govindan is hardly surprising. Though the situation in which he takes over as the state secretary is extraordinary, they have been expecting it for a long as ‘Govindan mash’ for them is the perfect ideologue to lead the party under the current circumstances.
Born in Morazha in 1953, he has been in the top echelons of the party, both at the district and state levels, fulfilling the task of giving ideological interpretations to justify the party position for the cadre. Considered a true proletarian, Govindan ascends to the top party post in the state as the fifth person from Kannur -- after E K Nayanar, Chadayan Govindan, Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan -- to do so.
However, the decision surprised some observers. When the subject of change at the top of the party was doing the rounds, the names of politburo members M A Baby and A Vijayaraghavan were among the probables. It is quite a coincidence that Pinarayi Vijayan had emerged as the CPM state secretary under fairly similar circumstances in 1998, after Chadayan Govindan’s death.
M V Govindan started his political life as a Balasangham worker during his schooldays. Fighting odds, he carried on as a staunch party loyalist in various capacities. He was the district secretary and the president of KSYF, the then youth organisation of the CPM. When the DYFI was formed in 1980, Govindan was elected as the first state president of the organisation. Later, he was elected the secretary of DYFI too.
During the dark days of the emergency, he was arrested and jailed for four months, facing police brutality.
He became more active in politics, he resigned from his job as a physical education teacher of Iringal UP School in 1991. A three-time MLA from Taliparamba -- in 1996, 2001 and 2021 -- Govindan led the Kannur district unit of the CPM from 2002 to 2006. Elected to the state committee in 1991, he was elevated to the state secretariat in 2006. In 2018, he was elected to the central committee too.
When the party was in the doldrums in Ernakulam due to groupism, he was given charge of the district and he did his job quite effectively. In 2018, he was elected to the central committee too. Coming from a humble background, as the son of K Kunhambu and M V Madhavi, Govindan overcame a lack of exposure during the early days through extensive reading.
That helped him expand his knowledge and vocabulary. Now, he has become one of the leading orators and a much sought-after tactician. His stature as an ideologue prompted the party to appoint him the chief editor of the party daily, Desabhimani. Govindan is married to P K Shyamala, former chairperson of Anthur municipality and CPM Kannur district committee member. The couple has two sons, Shyamjith and Rangeeth.
List of former CPM secretaries