THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Binoy Viswam has been officially elected as the CPI State Secretary to succeed the late senior leader Kanam Rajendran. The party's state council elected Binoy Viswam unanimously. Earlier, Binoy Viswam was given the temporary charge of the state secretary.

Binoy Viswam was elected unopposed when the matter was discussed in the party's state executive meeting held yesterday. He officially became the state secretary of the CPI after the state council approved it today. CPI National Secretary D Raja stated that the decision was taken unanimously.

Kanam Rajendran had requested the party to give the charge to Binoy Viswam while he had requested in a letter to give him leave due to his deteriorating health condition.

Binoy Viswam, who is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, is a member of the CPI National Secretariat. He is the editor of CPI's magazine New Age Weekly and working president of the All India Trade Union Congress. He had served as the Minister of Forests and Housing in the Government of Kerala from 2006 to 2011.