Achutanandan named next Kerala CM

New Delhi: The CPI-M's State Secretariat, which met in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, has announced VS Achuthanandan as the Chief Minister of the new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

However, the key Home portfolio, generally retained by the chief minister, has gone to Kodiyeri Balakrishna.

The party said that the swearing in ceremony will be held on the May 18.

LDF secured a thumping victory in the Assembly elections, but the party leadership found it difficult to pick a chief minister.

Achuthanandan is a veteran of many political battles. The party almost left him out in the cold, weeks before the Assembly elections. But the old warhorse has once again proved his worth.

In his 60-odd years as a politician, Comrade Achuthanandan has never been a minister.

In 1996, even though his party won, Achuthanandan lost the election. The rumour doing the rounds then attributed his defeat to internal party politics.

But, Achuthanandan is an old warhorse. In his youth he led a rebellion against the King of Travancore, a staunch Marxist.

Achuthanandan has always projected a larger-than-life image on the political canvas of Kerala. His colorful rhetoric is famous among his loyal followers.

The 82-year-old was among the 32 comrades who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form CPI-M. He has been a member of the CPI-M Politburo since 1985.

First elected in 1967, Achuthanandan has been elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly four times till now. He has served as the leader of Opposition in the State Assembly since 2001.

Over the last two decades, Achuthanandan has been targetted by party members from Northern Kerala who are against the old-school Communism of Achuthanandan.

Interestingly, even this time Achuthanandan had to fight hard for the party ticket. A rival faction led by Pinarayi Vijayan convinced the comrades in Delhi, that Achuthanandan was dispensable.

Wanting to usher in a progressive look, the bosses in Delhi agreed, but Achuthanandan was in no mood for a repeat of 1996. He declared that his party needed him more then he needed the party. And his victory this time had proved him right.

(With inputs from Aasim Khan)