17 new faces in CPM State Committee: Minister MB Rajesh not in state secretariat; AK Balan, PK Sreemathy and Anavoor Nagappan vacate positions

KOLLAM: Kerala CPM will once again be led by MV Govindan. The state conference that concluded in Kollam yesterday elected Govindan (72) as the secretary for the next three years. An 89-member state committee and a 17-member state secretariat were formed with priority given to women and youth. While Minister R. Bindu was inducted into the state committee, Minister Veena George was made a special invitee. K.H. Babujan is the chairman of the five-member control commission. He will also be a permanent invitee in the state committee. There are 12 women in the state committee, including KK Shailaja.

MV Govindan resigned from the post of minister and took charge in August 2022 after Kodiyeri Balakrishnan resigned from the post of secretary due to ill health. This is the first time he has become secretary through a conference. 17 new faces have been included in the state committee. While AK Balan, Anavoor Nagappan and PK Sreemathi have vacated positions, MV Jayarajan, CN Mohanan and KK Shailaja are the new faces in the secretariat. Senior member P Jayarajan did not reach the state secretariat this time too. The capital district has no representation in the secretariat with the resignation of Anavoor Nagappan. However, there are five members from Kannur district in the secretariat.

Susan Kody was removed from the state committee following organizational problems in Karunagappally. The state committee had received several complaints against former Wayanad District Secretary P Gagarin. It is reported that he was removed from the state committee following this. K Varadarajan, MK Kannan, Baby John, Gopi Kottamurikkal and P Sreeramakrishnan were also removed. EP Jayarajan and TP Ramakrishnan will continue in the secretariat.

There were indications that Minister MB Rajesh would join the state secretariat, but he dropped out in the end. Five district secretaries joined the state committee. M Rajagopal (Kasaragod), K Rafeeq (Wayanad), M Mehboob (Kozhikode), V P Anil (Malappuram), and K V Abdulkhader (Thrissur). Biju Kandakai, John Brittas, M Prakashan, V K Sanoj (DYFI state secretary), V Wasif (president), K Shanthakumari, R Bindu, M Anilkumar, K Prasad, T R Raghunath, S Jayamohan, and D K Murali are the other new faces in the state committee.

Secretariat Members

Pinarayi Vijayan, M.V. Govindan, E.P. Jayarajan, K.K. Shailaja, T.M. Thomas Isaac, T.P. Ramakrishnan, K.N. Balagopal, P. Rajeev, K.K. Jayachandran, V.N. Vasavan, Saji Cherian, M. Swaraj, Muhammed Riyas, P.K. Biju, Puthalath Dinesan, M.V. Jayarajan, C.N. Mohanan.