CPM Ernakulam district meet begins on Thursday

KOCHI: Despite being keen on strictly adhering to the official line of avoiding a contest, the CPM leadership does not rule out the possibility of an election in the Ernakulam district conference which is set to commence on January 5.The existing committee that owes allegiance to Opposition Leader VS Achuthanandan and those supporting state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan would be battling it out for an  upper hand in the election.Both the factions have almost an equal number of area committees with them, but the Achuthanadan faction has a slight edge.Of the total 18 area committees, Kochi is the lone area committee where the conference has  not been held, which raises the issue of how to ensure the participation of the committee in the district conference.Party sources said that though election could happen for the district committee, there was only a little possibility for election to the secretary post. There is also a possibility that M V Govindan, who is in secretary in-charge of the district, would continue in the post considering the political atmosphere. They said that the leadership was trying to avoid election and trying for a consensus.The conference is expected to conduct a postmortem on the humiliating defeat in the Assembly and local body elections.Apart from this, the Gopi Kottamurikkal issue would also be discussed at the conference, sources said. The Kottamurikkal issue would be a blot on the official faction. The conference would also take stock of the national, international and state-level political and economic issues."We are all set for the conference. All relevant issues would be discussed at the conference,’’ M V Govindan said.State Committee member S Sharma would hoist the flag at the Paravoor Municipal stadium on January 5. Politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan would inaugurate the delegates meet on January 6, Govindan said.The delegates meet, that would be held till January 8, would be addressed by state secretariat members Paloli Mohammedkutty, P K Gurudasan, Vaikom Viswan, M V Govindan and Aanathalavattam Anandan.The conference would come to end with a public meeting that would be held at the Municipal Stadium.