Hints that this leader from Kannur will face Modi in next elections, behind ‘CPM Congress' coming to Kerala

KANNUR: When Kannur, the birthplace of the Communist Party, becomes the venue for the next party congress of the CPM, it will be a new history for the party's political 'capital' city. Apart from being the home of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who continued rule in the history of Kerala, leaders from Kannur have been party secretaries for a long time. Kannur has the strongest party elements and the largest membership in the state.

Kannur turned red in 1939 with the meet of the Communist Party held at Pinarayi Paraprathu. P Krishna Pilla, E M S, K Damodaran, Vishnu Bharathiyan and K A Keraliyan led the meet. Six of the eight state secretaries since the birth of the CPM in 1964 are from Kannur. Pinarayi Vijayan has the record of being four-time state secretary. For the last 57 out of 37 years, the secretary has been a native of Kannur. AKG, C H Kanaran, E K Nayanar, Chadayan Govindan, Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan are the secretaries from Kannur. EMS and VS Achuthanandan were from outside Kannur.

Apart from the present politburo members Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, A K Padmanabhan, who reached politburo representing Tamil Nadu, is also from Kannur. Central Committee members E P Jayarajan, M V Govindan, K K Shailaja and P K Sreemathy are also from Kannur.