Keralites cannot be faulted if they feel a sense of déjà vu on poll eve as the beleaguered chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan is once again using his leverage with the masses to persuade his party bosses to come clear on the status of his candidature for the April 13 Kerala Assembly elections.
It is almost a throwback to the momentous days of April 2006 when street demonstrations forced the CPI(M) politburo to reverse its decision and field him in polls. This was unprecedented in the annals of the party.
The party denied him the seat initially because the dominant faction led by the state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, felt that his anti-corruption crusades as the Opposition leader from 2001 to 2006 were aimed at building up a superman image, placing himself over the party, with the sole objective of contesting the elections and becoming the chief minister. They feared that once in power, he would be hard to control.
When he became chief minister on May 18, 2006, the party denied him the home and vigilance portfolios, a clear signal of what was in store for the next five-year term.
The official faction’s fears proved to be true. In the last five years, he embarrassed Cabinet colleagues belonging to the official faction on many issues.