It's accommodation time in Kerala CPI-M

After the 23rd CPI-M Party Congress in Kannur, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is now busy finalising posts for top leaders who are yet to be accommodated.

In the offing are powerful posts like Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor, political secretary to Vijayan, editor of party organ 'Deshabhimani' and also the reconstitution of the central secretariat based in Delhi.

A.Vijayaraghavan was the LDF convenor and with he being inducted into the politburo, the likely front runners to this post include former state ministers E.P.Jayarajan and A.K.Balan.

Of the two, Jayarajan hails from Kannur- the bastion of the CPI-M and is said to be closer to Vijayan than Balan is.

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Balan's trump card is that he hails from the Scheduled Caste community and of late the CPI-M has been playing the communal and caste card quite well, by inducting a Dalit in the politburo for the first time.

The next post that is up for grabs is that of political secretary to Vijayan, as Puthelethu Dinesan has been inducted to the state secretariat of the party and those in the running include former political secretary to then chief minister E.K.Nayanar- P.Sasi, M.V.Jayarajan, who in the Vijayan's first term for a few years held the post is also in consideration and both of them hail from Kannur.

Then comes the nominees to the central secretariat and high on the list is two time former Lok Sabha member P.K.Biju, also a Dalit.

Then comes the decorative post of editor of party organ 'Deshabhimani' and it's here that no finality has come.

Among those who have missed out includes three former powerful state ministers - Thomas Isaac, G.Sudhakaran and J.Mercykutty.

Of the three, while Isaac and Sudhakaran did not contest the 2021 Assembly elections after they fell into the category of contesting the past consecutive elections and had to make way, Mercykutty met her waterloo at her home turf Kundara constituency in Kollam district.

The only qualification now to any party post is how close one is to Vijayan, as his decision is the final word in the government.

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