Kerala CM denied election ticket in upcoming polls

New Delhi, Mar 16: In yet another setback for Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan, he has been denied the election ticket by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) following party consensus. He will thereby not contest in the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled to be held on Apr 13, 2011.

This announcement was made during the State Secretariat meeting that is presently underway in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. While the ruling LDF government is working out strategies on how to face the elections, the new move has raised quite a few eyebrows especially since Achuthanandan was widely considered a leader with a clean image.

However, it was not just the Kerala CM but also politburo member and the state secretary of CPI (M), Pinarayi Vijayan who has been denied the ticket. This makes the Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan the obvious choice and next in line to lead the LDF in the upcoming elections.

Achuthanandan, however refused to comment on the party's decision. But party supporters are rallying against the decision. He was under major controversy when his son was alleged to have been involved in a scam and other controversies too cropped up during his regime.

A similar denial of ticket occurred against Achuthanandan during the 2006 assembly elections, but the decision was later reversed following a huge public protest.

OneIndia News