The CPI(M) decision to deny an Assembly ticket to the Kerala Chief Minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, may not trigger passionate street protests as in 2006, but the party will have a hard time explaining it to people in the 140 Assembly segments across the State.
Instead of Mr Achuthanandan, the party has nominated the home minister, Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, a member of the politburo, to lead the Left Democratic Front. He will contest for another term from Thalassery in northern Kannur.
In a clever move, the state party secretary, Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, who proposed Mr Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's name at the party secretariat, also opted out of the polls. He was prudent in doing so because Mr Achuthanandan would have campaigned citing his status as the seventh accused in the Lavalin case.
The high-decibel question that is being asked all over the state is whether this is the end of the road for Mr Achuthanandan? It is to be seen what the party proposes to do to mollify him and keep the flock intact when it faces an imminent rout in both West Bengal and Kerala.
But, given his nature, Mr Achuthanandan is not going to sit idle. He might campaign for the party but he still commands fierce loyalties among a section of the cadre and the ultra Left, who could wreak revenge on the party for humiliating him.
But sources say the party has taken a calculated risk. If Mr Achuthanandan could not ensure a victory for the LDF in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and local council polls last year, it is unlikely that he would perform a miracle this rime. At best his popularity would have reduced the margin of defeat for the Left.
By not submitting to ambitions of a leader grown larger than the party, the latter has asserted its will. It’s perhaps prepared for a long winter, if that’s what’s in store after the elections but it is not prepared for another experiment with the individualistic Mr Achuthanandan.
As expected, the decision has brought back smiles on the faces of the opposition United Democratic Front leaders since all attention will now shift to the troubles in the CPI(M). They also expect Mr Achuthanandan and his fans to play spoilsport.