E Chandrasekaran and PP Suneer are CPI Assistant Secretaries; six new faces including GR Anil in executive

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI state council meeting held yesterday elected the 21-member state executive of the party. There are six newcomers in the state executive, including minister GR Anil. KR Chandramohan is the treasurer. Former minister E Chandrasekaran and PP Suneer have been named Assistant Secretaries in place of K Prakash Babu, who was elevated to the National Executive Committee, and Sathyan Mokeri, a member of the Central Control Commission. Senior leader C Divakaran, CN Chandran, and AK Chandran were dropped from the executive. K Prakash Babu, who became a member of the national executive, was not included in the state executive. Former Minister VS Sunil Kumar, who was nominated for the national council in the Vijayawada Party Congress, was not considered for the state executive. The composition of the new executive will ensure the absolute dominance of state secretary Kanam Rajendran.

With the inclusion of Kamala Sadanandan from Ernakulam, the representation of women in the executive has increased to three. The other women members are minister J. Chinchu Rani and P Vasantha. The other newcomers are R Rajendran from Kollam, former district secretary CK Sasidharan from Kottayam, KK Ashraf from Ernakulam and TV Balan from Kozhikode.

Although Thomas Mundapalli had suggested including Pathanamthitta district secretary AP Jayan in the state executive, the leadership rejected it. Thomas said that Pathanamthitta district has not been represented in the state executive committee after EK Pillai. Secretary Kanam Rajendran explained that there is no separate quota system for districts in the executive committee.

Sunil Kumar was removed from the executive after the 2018 Malappuram conference as he was a minister. CP Murali is the new Chairman of the Control Commission and V.S. Prince is the secretary. Murali will be an ex-officio member of the executive.