The State committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has named Excise Minister M.V. Govindan, MLA, as the party's new State secretary.
Mr. Govindan succeeds Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who is reportedly going to Chennai for treatment. A CPI(M) communique said Mr. Balakrishnan was currently hard-pressed to discharge his duties as party secretary.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, M.A. Baby, A. Vijayaraghavan and Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener E.P. Jayarajan attended the meeting.
Mr. Vijayan and Mr. Karat had called on Mr. Balakrishnan. He reportedly argued for a hands-on and full-time party secretary and was against any surrogate arrangement. Mr. Vijayaraghavan had officiated for Mr. Balakrishnan when the latter went to the U.S. for treatment in 2021.
Mr. Govindan's election has thrown open the door for a possible Cabinet reshuffle. It triggered media speculation that the reconstituted Cabinet might be an eclectic mix of veterans and new faces. The CPI(M) might also fill the vacancy left by the exit of Saji Cherian from the Cabinet.
Moreover, Mr. Govindan's election has precipitated an unusual situation where the Chief Minister and CPI(M) State secretary are legislators.
An identical situation unfolded in 1998 when Mr. Vijayan resigned as Power Minister in the E.K. Nayanar Cabinet to assume charge as CPI(M) State secretary following the demise of the then incumbent, Chadayan Govindan.
Mr. Govindan ascends to the helm of the CPI(M) in Kerala at a time when the party and ruling front is facing a slew of challenges.
Foremostly, Mr. Govindan will have to steer the CPI(M) through its volatile disputes with Governor Arif Mohammed Khan. It will be imperative on him to maintain the apparent synergy between the party and government achieved by Mr. Balakrishnan and Mr. Vijayan.
Mr. Govindan faced the challenge of mobilising the party machinery and civil society to insulate the government from the Opposition's "recriminatory campaign" and prepare the ground for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
