New Delhi: The central leadership of the CPI(M) has decided to appoint senior party leader Pinarayi Vijayan as the new Chief Minister of Kerala. Vijayan's name was formally announced by Sitaram Yechury at a press conference today.
"We have decided that Pinarayi Vijayan is proposed as the leader of the legislative party of LDF," he said.
The decision has left 92-year old VS Achuthanandan, the former Chief Minister of the state, furious. According to sources, Achuthanandan was so upset with the move to appoint Vijayan as the CM instead of him that he left the high-level party meeting midway.
Notably, Achuthanandan was in the race of Chief Minister’s post and it was him that the party had projected as the chief ministerial face ahead of assembly polls. After the victory, however, the central leadership of CPI(M) has taken the decision to hand over the reins of power to senior politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan.
As per sources, Vijayan's name was proposed by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury at the party's state headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
VS Achuthanandan’s rivalry with Pinarayi Vijayan is well-known in political circles and it seems that the age factor has tilted the decision in favour of P Vijayan. Efforts are on to pacify Achuthanandan, party sources said.
Under the leadership of VS Achuthanandan, theCPI(M) led LDF scored an impressive victory over Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Assembly elections. LDF won 91 seats compared to 47 seats of UDF.
Since the CPI(M) is well aware of the fact that Achuthanandan may not easily agree to forego his claim over the Chief Ministership, the party is reportedly planning to create a special position for him that would be similar to Sonia Gandhi’s position under UPA at the Centre, according to some media reports. The new position of Achuthanandan is likely to be of cabinet rank.
“Like Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s post during the UPA regime, we will accommodate VS in a position with cabinet rank. With his falling age the veteran has almost came around the idea," Hindustan Times quoted a CPI(M) leader who did not wish to be named.
Another remarkable feature of Kerala election results was that the BJP for the first time in its history opened its account in the state with the victory of its senior leader O Rajagopal.
