CPI-CPM rift unresolved

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district-level leaders of both the CPM and CPI are finding it hard to end the rift between leading parties in the LDF in the Venjaramoodu region.

The disagreement is likely to affect the prospects of the front in Nellanadu and Vamanapuram panchayats.

The present situation was that the CPI had fielded candidates in all the 16 wards in Nellanadu and nine out of the 16 wards in Vamanapuram grama panchayat following differences on seat sharing.

However, the CPI has not fielded candidates in the district panchayat ward or the block panchayat wards.

The rift started with a section of leaders opposing Koliyakode Krishnan Nair MLA, led by local secretary A. M. Rise, joining the CPI in 2012 and winning the subsequent cooperative bank elections.

Mr Rise belongs to the Muslim community that has a sizable presence in the area and was part of Achuthanandan faction.

He had enjoyed the support of leaders opposed to Mr Nair. He was later injured in the clashes between the two.

Then, last year, the CPI joined hands with the 'I' group in the Congress to capture the Venjaramoodu Cooperative Bank administration.

The combine won all the seats in the elections. This was even while the 'A' group of the Congress contested on their own making it a three-way fight.

Mr Rise told Deccan Chronicle that the CPI would not withdraw its candidates in wards of the two panchayats as there was no LDF machinery there.

"It is just CPM and the CPI with little scope for a compromise, and there is no common ground between the two," he said.