K T Jaleel as consensus candidate in Ponnani? Mass resignations from CPM

MALAPPURAM: The CPM is planning to field K T Jaleel as a consensus candidate to soften the protests in Ponnani. Instead the party is planning to shift Nandakumar to Thavanur. The party is against the decision of fielding P Nandakumar as the CPM candidate in Ponnani assembly elections. Several party members including CPM branch secretaries have resigned.

Despite local protests related to the selection of candidate in Ponnani, the CPM leadership is shocked on the strong protests. The protest in Ponnani started at the same time Chief Minister Pinarayi was attending a public meeting in the panchayat, launching LDF’s election campaign in the state.

The CPM fielded Nandakumar as its candidate in Ponnani after shifting two-time winner Speaker Sreeramakrishnan. However, lower units want CPM Ponnani area secretary T M Siddique to contest from here. The local leaders raised the name of Siddique first in the area committee and later in the district committee during the discussions on selection of candidates. However, when candidate discussions reached state secretariat, the state leadership decided to field CITU national office bearer P Nandakumar in Ponnani.

CPM activists had suggested T N Siddique’s name when Paloli Mohammad Kutty withdrew from the fray in 2011. It was a big mistake for the party to deny Siddique a seat when Sreeramakrishnan came from Perinthalmanna and contested. His supporters claim that the party is denying seat even after an opportunity is obtained after ten years. They claim that the party is continuously ignoring Siddique and that Nandakumar is an unlikely candidate in Ponnani. When VS Achuthanandan was denied a seat in 2006, CPM activists took to the streets in a similar manner.

Veliancode grama panchayat member Tahir and others took part in the protest staged in Ponnani on Monday. The party leadership is trying to appease the protesters. However, former area secretary and district secretariat member Siddique denied the protest staged in his name. It has been noticed that some people used his name and pictures to defame the party. That is all anti-party. He said that he abides the decision of the party.