Thaindian News

Thiruvananthapuram, March 16 (IANS) Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and three of his ministers will not contest the upcoming state assembly polls, the party decided here Wednesday. Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will lead the election campaign of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), it said.

Along with Achuthanandan, Local Self Government and Rural Development Minister Paloly Mohammed Kutty, Health Minister P.K. Sreemathi and Law Minister M. Vijayakumar will not contest the polls, the party decided.

The decision to drop the 87-year-old chief minister from the list of candidates for the April 13 election was taken at a marathon four-hour meeting of the CPI-M’s 15-member state secretariat Wednesday afternoon and was endorsed by the 81-member state committee late evening, party sources said.

Sources said Achuthanandan at the state committee meeting said that since he has been asked to retire from electoral politics on account of his ill-health, he will also not take part in the election campaign.

Emerging from the state secretariat meeting that ended earlier around 3 p.m., a grim-faced Achuthanandan refused to answer any questions by media persons and said “those responsible for briefing this will let you know”.

During the day, his supporters took to streets across the state to protest the party’s decision not to field him in the election. The protests continued till late evening.

The committee decided CPI-M state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, Achuthanandan’s arch rival, will also not contest the polls, sources said.

The party secretariat has decided that Balakrishnan will contest from Thalassery constituency in Kannur district.

In 2006, Achuthanandan was denied a party ticket but following a huge public outcry, the national leadership had to reverse its decision. He led the Left Front’s poll campaign and went on to become the chief minister.