Alappuzha (Kerala), March 12 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday issued its first strong response to veteran leader G. Sudhakaran after he indicated plans to contest the Assembly election as an independent from Ambalappuzha, ending a party association spanning more than six decades.
Alappuzha district secretary of CPI(M), R. Nazar, said the party had been “very considerate” towards the former minister even after he was replaced as the party candidate in Ambalappuzha.
According to Nazar, Sudhakaran had been given due respect and status within the organisation and was even allotted a special room at the party’s district office.
“Based on his request, he was drafted into a newly formed branch committee. But gradually it was he who began to distance himself from the party,” Nazar said, adding that when reports emerged that Sudhakaran might not renew his party membership, senior leaders personally met him to persuade him otherwise.
“The party has always regarded him with great respect, especially as the brother of a martyr. Even after this announcement, we still hope he will reconsider his decision,” he added.
Echoing similar sentiments, M.A. Baby, the party’s general secretary and a former Cabinet colleague of Sudhakaran, described the development as “very unfortunate”.
State minister Saji Cherian said Sudhakaran’s decision, saying that while contesting the election was his personal choice, it would not cause “even the slightest impact” on the party in Alappuzha.
He also said the CPI(M) had done nothing to betray Sudhakaran in a manner that would justify him rejecting the party.
But in Sudhakaran’s hometown of Punnapra, posters have surfaced sharply criticising his decision, describing him as a “class traitor” and declaring that there would be “no forgiveness and no votes” for him.
The posters, reportedly put up by party workers, signal the beginning of a grassroots campaign against his move.
Sudhakaran’s announcement has significantly altered the political dynamics in Ambalappuzha, long considered a CPI(M) stronghold.
The leadership, however, insists that voters in the constituency support the party’s ideology and symbol rather than individuals.
Alappuzha, after Kannur, is regarded as one of the strongest organisational bases of the CPI(M).
Yet the district has also witnessed sharp factional battles in the past, with even towering leaders such as former Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan having lost Assembly elections here amid internal divisions.
Sudhakaran, once known as a close associate of Achuthanandan before emerging as a prominent supporter of Pinarayi Vijayan, had recently alleged that he was deliberately sidelined within the party.
Despite stepping away from the organisation, he has said he remains committed to communist ideals and views his independent contest as a protest against the current trends within the party.
Political observers are now watching closely to see whether, just like K.R. Gowri Amma was ousted from the party in 1994, his move could create a significant split in the CPI(M)’s vote bank in Alappuzha.
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