THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former district panchayat president V K Madhu has been demoted to party district committee from CPM district secretariat after finding serious lapses from his side during electioneering in Aruvikkara constituency in the assembly elections.

Action was recommended at the district secretariat convened yesterday in the presence of A Vijayaraghavan in charge of CPM state secretary. The district committee meet later approved it. The party found that the leader, who should have set an example by upholding communist values yielded to parliamentary delusion. The district unit initially chose V K Madhu as their candidate but later state secretariat chose G Stephen as the candidate.

It is heard that CPM leader Kadakampally Surendran asked whether the action could be reduced to a warning at the district secretariat meet convened in the morning. Replying to it, Vijayaraghavan read out the reference in the party’s correction document. V Jayaprakash, Pulluvila Stanley and A A Rahim demanded strict action at the district committee meet. W R Heeba, S S Rajalal and Pattom Vamadevan Nair opposed action against him.

Madhu explained at the district secretariat meet that there was a mistake on his part in some matters. However, Madhu said all the allegations levelled were not true and some were rejected by the party commission. The district secretariat rejected all these arguments. The commission found that Madhu had fielded himself as a candidate in Aruvikara before the decision of the party came.

The district committee meet decided to hold the CPM Thiruvananthapuram district meet at Parasala.