Kerala Assembly polls: Unrest brewing in CPM over moves to field wives, deny seats to ministers

Unrest is brewing in the Kerala CPM over the reported moves to field wives of party leaders and to deny seats to some prominent leaders of the party, including several ministers, in the coming assembly polls.

Even posters and social media posts criticising the decisions have appeared.

The major criticisms are against fielding Law Minister A K Balan's wife P K Jameela in the Tarur constituency in Palakkad district, which is now represented by Balan in the Assembly.

Posters appeared in the district flaying the move, following which party leaders clarified that no decision to field Jameela, who is a former director of Kerala health services, has been taken yet.

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Reports of denying seats to at least five ministers, including Finance Minister Thomas Isaac and Public Works Minister G Sudhakaran, citing the party norm of only two terms as MLAs, as well as senior leader P Jayarajan in Kannur had also triggered criticism from within the party.

Strong criticisms are being raised against the party leadership in some social media groups believed to be that of party workers.

Setback over deep-sea trawler deal too

In a further setback to the ruling Left Democratic Front, a forum of the Catholic churches in the state attacked the LDF government’s move to enter into a deal with a US firm for building 400 deep-sea trawlers.

A meeting of the Latin Catholic regional council on Sunday observed that the LDF government initiated a move that could have hit the livelihood of the traditional fishermen and the political leadership is now trying to put the blame on the bureaucracy for the decision.

The stand of the Latin Catholic church that represents a major section of the fishermen community in the state might affect the poll prospects of the LDF in the coastal areas. Of the 140 odd constituencies in Kerala, at least fifty are entirely in coastal areas or connected to those areas.