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With the Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretariat deciding not to provide Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan a seat to contest in the coming assembly elections, sources say that the Congress-led United Democratic Front is all set to emerge as a clear winner.
While the CPI-M led Left Democratic Front rule was termed as a misery to the people of the state by the opposition, there was still sympathy for the octogenarian communist leader, who was always at loggerheads with the official faction of the CPI-M in the party.
A source said that Achuthanandan was considered to be a favourite among the middle class and women alike, and the CPI-M think tanks seems to have ignored this fact. However, there are indications that once he is given a seat and if the left front comes back to power, then there may not be a chance to tame the veteran leader.
The source added that he might be a threat to the tainted CPI-M leaders, including the party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan.
During the mid weeks of January the CPI-M and the LDF had smelled victory in the imminent assembly polls, even though the dates were not announced. "However, the official faction of the CPI- M feared that Achuthanandan retaining power as the CM would spell doom to several of them," the source added.
A highly-placed source in the party told rediff.com on the condition of anonymity, that the CPI-M's central leadership has connived with the state leadership to show the door to Achuthanandan. The source said that given the possibility of a defeat in West Bengal, Achuthanandan's was the only ray of hope for the beleaguered party in the state.
"The CPI-M has very few MP's in Parliament and it was crucial for the party to come back to power in the state, the only one where there was a slight hope, said the source.
Local party cadres and middle level leaders are disappointed over Achuthanandan's denial. "The CPI-M is on a downwards course on the popularity charts in Kerala. The day is not far off wherein the party would be history in the state," said the source.