Achuthanandan’s Popularity is Important for the CPI(M) in Kerala

Both Pinarayi Vijayan and VS Achuthanandan will contest in the upcoming polls in Kerala from CPI(M).

Former chief minister VS Achuthanandan (left), party strongman Pinarayi Vijayan. (Photo: PTI)

Former CPI(M) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition VS Achuthanandan will both contest in the upcoming polls in Kerala.

Achuthanandan will be contesting from Malampuzha in Palakkad district, whereas Vijayan, 71, would seek the mandate from Dharmadam in Kannur, reports The Indian Express.

Achuthanandan, the most popular mass leader the CPI(M) has in the state, is 92-years-old. Although he has been pulled up for ‘disciplinary issues’ by his party in the past, Achuthanandan’s popularity makes him hard to sideline for the CPI(M), despite Vijayan’s clout in the party’s highest decision-making bodies.

Sources said that Achuthanandan was fearful that his party would opt for Vijayan over him. However, with the BJP rooting for the Ezhava votes, Achuthanandan, who belongs to the Ezhava community, has become important for the CPI(M) since the backward Hindu community has been traditionally voting for the CPI(M).

Read the full story on The Indian Express.