Kodiyeri Balakrishnan resigns; MV Govindan appointed as new Kerala CPM state secretary

Thiruvananthapuram: Paving the way for a cabinet overhaul in the CPI(M)-led Kerala, M. V. Govindan Master, a member of the central committee and the state's minister for local self-government was chosen as the party's state secretary on Sunda. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the previous CPI(M) state chief, resigned due to ill health, and Govindan was appointed in his place.

At the party state committee meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, Govindan, a well-known politician from the CPI(M) bastion of Kannur, was chosen as the party secretary. Along with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, other attendees included General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, politburo members Prakash Karat, M. A. Baby, and A. Vijayaraghavan.

Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who has been the party's state secretary since 2015 despite being ill, has previously stated his wish to resign since he was unable to carry out his daily responsibilities.

A cabinet overhaul under Vijayan, who recently finished his second consecutive year as chief minister, is expected to occur if a minister is chosen to serve as party secretary. The Cabinet reshuffle has not been officially discussed by the party.

Pinarayi Vijayan served as the power minister for the CPI(M) administration of E K Nayanar in 1998, the year he was chosen as the party's state secretary. When Chadayan Govindan, the incumbent party state secretary, passed away, Vijayan took over. Vijayan then held the position till 2015, making him the CPI(M) state secretary with the longest tenure, Indian Express reported.

Balakrishnan, who was appointed state secretary in 2015 and resigned in November 2020 due to illness. At this same time, Bengaluru police detained his son Bineesh Kodiyeri in connection with an investigation into money laundering. Senior leader and then LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan was subsequently named as acting state secretary by the party. After the Assembly elections in May 2021, the CPI(M) continued to hold onto retaining power in the state. One month after his son Bineesh was granted bail, Balakrishnan returned to the party as state secretary in December 2021.