LS Poll debacle : CPI demotes three leaders

Three Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders, including the national executive member of the party, C Divakaran have been demoted.

The party leadership in the south Indian state of Kerala came under severe attack from party men in the council meeting held on Saturday over the selection of Bennet Abraham as its contestant from Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat who lost to Congress’ Sashi Tharoor and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP’s) O Rajagopal who came a close runner-up.

The state council members attacked the top leadership of the party, including state secretary Panniyan Raveendran at the meet based on the report of an internal inquiry panel which found fault with the choice of the candidate.

Divakaran, a former minister and leader of the party in the state assembly was demoted from the state executive to the state council.

State executive member P Ramachandran Nair, who was in charge of the election in the seat was shunted to the district council and district secretary Venjaramood Sasi removed from the post.

The poll result came as a severe blow to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and CPI in particular as BJP’S Rajagopal finished a close second in the keenly watched contest, pushing the CPI candidate Abraham to the third spot.

The demoted members, Nair and Sasi came out against the action alleging that they were the victims of factional trends in the party.