Old guards to call it a day

THRISSUR: Veteran CPM leader V S Achuthanandan is gearing up for another episode of electoral battle but many who were his colleagues in the outgoing state Assembly have announced their plans to retire. They include Congress veterans and ministers C N Balakrishnan and and Aryadan Muhammed. And they have reasons to do to, too.

Mr Balakrishnan, Cooperation Minister in the Oommen Chandy cabinet,  told reporters on Friday that he was not keen on contesting the elections. “I will take a call if the party compelled me,” he said, amid rumours that the Congress strongman is afraid of various corruption cases catching up with him.

The Thrissur Vigilance Court had recently ordered for a quick verification against the minister and former officials of Consumerfed and the report on it is expected to be submitted in the court early next month.

Mr Balakrishnan was Thrissur DCC president for a long time and later held the post of KPCC treasurer.  Citing his old age, the minister said that it would be better to stop signing when the voice is sweet.

The 81-one-year had contested from his home constituency of Wadakkanchery here for the first time to Assembly in 2011 and won with a margin of 6,685 votes. But, in the last Local Body Elections held in November 2015, Congress tasted defeat in the newly-formed Wadakkanchery municipality and majority of the panchayats in the Assembly constituency.

Congress sources said that his daughter C.B. Geetha, who is at present a corporation councilor in Thrissur, would most probably carry forward his political legacy, but would not contest the Assembly elections.

Thought the minister had planned to make his daughter the chairperson of the Thrissur Corporation and chose a safe ward for her, the UDF failed to get majority in the local body. The party had objected to his move to seek BJP’s help and wrest power in Thrissur.