CM to be chosen from elected members: Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram, May 11 (UNI) The CPI(M) in Kerala today said the Chief Minister would be selected from party members elected to the State Assembly.

A decision in this regard would be taken at its State Committee meeting slated for May 15, CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan told a news conference here.

He said the landslide victory of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the state showed that the people had widely accepted the programmes put forward by the Front.

The LDF would shoulder the responsibility seriously and take all steps for the overall development of the state.

As the people believed that only the LDF could protect the interests of the state, the CPI(M) and the LDF partners would act as per the wishes of the people, Mr Vijayan said.

Pointing out the defeat of prominent leaders of the IUML, the second largest parter in the UDF, he said Muslims realised that their leaders were not working for the welfare of the community but for the welfare of certain leaders.

Though the IUML leaders had given a wrong impression about the CPI(M), the situation had changed now and the Muslim community had accepted the LDF stand, he said pointing out the humiliating defeat of prominent IUML leaders like former Ministers P K Kunhalikutty, M K Muneer and E T Mohammad Basheer.

On the proposed Smart City project in Kochi, Mr Vijayan said his party had never opposed the project. The CPI-M was only opposed to the handing over of the Infopark to the project promoters and the party would oppose such move in future also.

However, he clarified that the LDF government would welcome any IT company which wanted to come to the state.

While promoting IT, the LDF government's first priority would be revival of traditional industries and the agriculture sector which employed hundreds of thousands of people.

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