Factionalism and infighting appeared to bedevil the Communist Party of India (CPI) with barely two days left for the party's State conference to commence here on Friday.
In an arguably uncharacteristic and overt display of factionalism in a party that swears by a cult-like internal discipline, CPI veterans C. Divakaran and K.E. Ismail suggested the State conference might see a challenge to State secretary Kanam Rajendran's election for a third consecutive term.
They also contested the 75-year age limit set for CPI State council members. They implied the current leadership had used it as a factional weapon to oust senior leaders from the party's decision-making forums.
