With the passing of Sitaram Yechuri, who was often seen taking a pro-Congress line, and the acting General Secretary Prakash Karat toeing the line of the Kerala unit of the CPI-M of strongly opposing Congress, things are in favour of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The next CPI-M Party Congress will be held in Madurai in April, for which the party’s state-wide meetings have all commenced.
Over the years, with the CPI-M in West Bengal and Tripura getting pushed out of the main political scenario in those states, the mantle is on Vijayan and the Kerala unit of the party to go forward.
According to sources, at its leader’s meeting held in Delhi recently, this was the focal point of discussion and the broad agreement was the party, though part of the INDIA Block, need not show any more mercy to the Congress party in Kerala and has decided to take on none other than Lok Sabha's Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and his sister, the candidate at the upcoming Lok Sabha by-election slated for November 13.
The broad consensus was that the CPI-M would be treating both Congress and BJP as its political opponents in Kerala.
A political critic on the condition of anonymity said that CPI-M will have to play its cards very well as Kerala is its last bastion and any wrong move would be disastrous for the party.
“The election results to the April Lok Sabha elections is the writing on the wall for CPI-M as BJP has been able to move forward in its vote share and like in West Bengal and Tripura, BJP gained when CPI-M became weak and in Kerala -- the first signs of it happened when the second biggest ally of the BJP-led NDA the BDJS making ground,” said the critic, and added that if the CPI-M has to claw back, it has to take a very strong anti-Congress position.
At the April Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-led NDA made a gain of 2.60 per cent votes, with CPI-M-led Left’s share declining by 2.95 per cent and the Congress-led UDF came down by 2.27 per cent.
Traditionally in Kerala, the Hindu Ezhava community, especially in the southern and central districts of the state has always aligned with the CPI-M and the first signs that things are not that rosy was seen, when the BJP-led NDA candidates making steady gains in these areas.
Now with Karat at the helm, who is considered close to Vijayan, unlike Yechuri, it remains to be seen if the next party General Secretary will be from Kerala and as matters stand, it cannot be ruled out as Vijayan continues to hold sway.
CM stresses scientific drain construction to combat flood
Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha today emphasized the need to construct drains in a scientific manner to quickly drain the water accumulated in the city during heavy rains.
Bangladeshi man, drug smuggler held at Agartala Railway Station
In a significant development, two separate operations at Agartala Railway Station led to the arrest of a Bangladeshi national for illegal entry into India and a local individual involved in attempting to smuggle ganja to Assam.
Suspected Bangladeshi flag on Rickshaw, two detained
Tension flared in the Joynagar area of Agartala on Thursday late night after locals detained two individuals in connection with a rickshaw allegedly bearing the national flag of Bangladesh.
Tripura holds significant position in blood donation: CM Dr Manik Saha
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Friday inaugurated a blood donation camp here at Agartala and said that the government is mulling to open more blood banks in the state to maintain the balance between the demand and supply.
Tripura CM Saha holds key meeting with BJP, IPFT and TMP leaders
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday held an "important" meeting between the leaders of ruling BJP and its two allies – Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and discussed various political and developmental issue, sources said.
HM Amit Shah's meeting sends a clear message: Not a drop of water to Pakistan
A high-level meeting was held on Friday at the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty. The 45-minute meeting between the Home Minister and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil focused on exploring ways to halt the flow of water to Pakistan.
Tripura: TMP chief urges Centre to adopt 'stronger policy' against B'desh
Ruling BJP’s ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP) founder-chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma on Friday urged the Central government to adopt a stronger policy stance towards Bangladesh, accusing the neighbouring country of encouraging fundamentalist forces targeting Hindu minorities.
Pahalgam attack: More countries express solidarity with India, offer support in fight against terrorism
Ambassadors of Israel, Egypt, Argentina, and Nepal met External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday, expressing solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism following the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam.