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Achutanandan's clean sweep strands Nayanar on a sticky wicket

D Jose in Thiruvanathapuram

All is not well for Kerala Chief Minister E K Nayanar. And that is putting it mildly.

The first round of the organisational election in the Communist Party of India-Marxist has seen the Achutanandan faction -- which, as dedicated followers of Kerala politics will know, divorced its relations from the chief minister -- capturing a majority of the area committees in 10 of the state's 14 districts.

Which fact, naturally, is pretty unhealthy for Nayanar. So unhealthy, in fact, that the Communist veteran is now seeking the rival Centre for Indian Trade Unions's support.

However, that too seems not to be working out.

The CITU has not forgiven Nayanar for joining hands with Achutanandan to defeat its nominee, Susheela Gopalan, in the chief ministerial election last year. In any case, the union is not in a position to help out anybody -- no, not even self -- as it has been able to win only the Kasargod, Kottayam, Malappuram and Wyanad districts.

The stunning defeat it suffered in its citadel, Alappuzha, has been more than it can withstand. The clean sweep of 133 area committees there by the Achutanandan faction is particular embarrassing for the CITU since C K Sadasivan, whom it had suspended, made his return by securing 107 of 115 votes in Ambalappuzha area. The possibility that Sadasivan, considered to be Achutanandan's right hand, will emerge as the district secretary is causing sleepless nights to many.

Achutanandan, on his part, has a score or two to settle with the CITU for manipulating his defeat in the assembly election from Mararikulam. An internal probe conducted by the party had indicted a couple of trade union leaders for working for his defeat. Interestingly, the Achutanandan group has captured the Mararikulam area committee from the CITU -- former MP and CITU leader T J Anjalose even failed to make it to the Mararikulan area committee.

Thus, the area committee elections has seen Achutanandan emerging as the strongest grass root-man in the CPI-M. The faction is now fully braced for the state committee elections, scheduled in the first week of January, ahead of the crucial 16th party Congress in Calcutta, making Nayanar's position shaky.

Another factor which has added to the CM's discomfiture is party patriarch E M S Namboodiripad's ill-health. The veteran Communist who, with his tactical and timely interventions, used to tilt balances is unlikely to make it to the state Congress at Palakkad from February 3 to 5.

Though political circles do not foresee any immediate change of leadership, they feel that Nayanar will be forced to compromise with the rival faction. Achudanandan, they feel, would push strongly to have his aspirations fulfilled, and with the kind of majority he enjoys among the 450 delegates, would definitely succeed.

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