As the three-day district conference of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI-M] entered the second day here on Wednesday, the question in the minds of the delegates is who will be the new district unit secretary of the party.
Incumbent secretary T.P. Ramakrishnan, who completed three terms, has already expressed his desire to step down. Besides, the 20th Party Congress held in Kozhikode in April 2012 had made an amendment fixing the tenure of secretaries at all levels to three terms. The newly elected district committee members will choose the new secretary on Thursday.
Several names are doing the rounds for replacing Mr. Ramakrishnan at a time when the party is confronting the erosion of its support base.
P. Mohanan and M. Bhaskaran, both members of the district secretariat, appear to be the frontrunners in the race for the post. Mr. Mohanan has a wealth of experience in the party. This apart, he is the former president of the Kozhikode district panchayat. The only worrying factor is that Mr. Mohanan had been named the 14{+t}{+h}accused in the Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case. However, the Special Additional Sessions Court (Marad cases), which tried the case, set him free in January, 2014. His wife, K.K. Lathika, also a district committee member, is representing the Kuttiyadi Assembly constituency.
In the case of Mr. Bhaskaran, former Mayor of Kozhikode, his role in the party is confined to the city Corporation limits. Another drawback is that he is facing numerous Vigilance cases.
The discussion on the party report was completed on Wednesday. As many as 48 delegates took part in the seven-hour discussion. Mr. Ramakrishnan and Polit Bureau member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan delivered reply speeches.
