Thiruvananthapuram: The abrupt resignation of Communist Party of India Marxist legislator, R. Selvaraj, from the Neyyattinkara constituency has jolted the opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.
The resignation comes just a week before an important by-election to the Piravom assembly constituency with prestige at stake for both the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) and the LDF.
The shock felt by the CPI-M leadership was evident yesterday when the party's general-secretary Prakash Karat refused to comment on the matter when queried by journalists in New Delhi.
Meanwhile, CPI-M leaders in Kerala accused the UDF of scheming to effect a defection.
Selvaraj sprang another surprise by hinting he would consider going over to the UDF camp if the situation demanded and his supporters believed such a move was mandated, after having said only a day before that it would be "suicidal". He would not clarify whether he would join the fray when a by-election is held in Neyyattinkara.
Factionalism charge
Selvaraj has resigned from both the state legislature as well as from the CPI-M's district committee, alleging that factionalism in the party and threats against his family members were primary reasons for his decision. He repeatedly denied that he had been influenced in any way by the UDF leadership but made little effort to hide his displeasure over the attitudes of some colleagues in the CPI-M's district committee.
The Piravom by-election is important for both the ruling and opposition alliances in Kerala considering that the Congress-led UDF has only 71 seats in the 140-member assembly, but Selvaraj's resignation has already eased the tension in the UDF camp considerably.
The UDF hopes to enhance its share to 72 seats in the legislature after the Piravom by-election and will seek to add another seat when a by-election is held for the Neyyattinkara assembly constituency that has now fallen vacant.
Selvaraj would not name any particular leader in the CPI-M for his resignation, but gave hints that the ‘Kannur lobby' in the party and the party's Thiruvananthapuram district officials had not been treating him well.
Selvaraj is a popular leader from the Nadar community that has a significant presence in the southernmost district of Kerala, and is the third key leader to have fallen out with the CPI-M in recent years. In 2009 the party expelled parliamentarian A.P. Abdullakutty and the following year, another MP, K.S. Manoj left the party in disillusionment.
