Thiruvananthapuram: Senior Left leader and state minister M V Govindan was on Sunday chosen as the new state secretary of the CPI(M) in Kerala.
CPI(M) state committee, which met here, selected Govindan as the new secretary after Kodiyeri Balakrishnan expressed his request to step down from the post citing health reasons. Party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, politburo members Prakash Karat, M A Baby, A Vijayaraghavan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took part in the state committee meeting here.
LDF convener and senior Left leader E P Jayarajan, who met the media after the meeting, said the state committee unanimously selected Govindan as the secretary. Govindan (69), who represents Thaliparamba constituency is currently the Minister for Local Self Governments and Excise in the second Pinarayi Vijayan government.
"The party has been entrusting me with various responsibilities over the times and now a new responsibility has been given," Govindan told the media after meeting Balakrishnan at his residence here. Party sources said Govindan will resign from his post of Minister after the end of the current Legislative Assembly session and there might be a ministerial rejig after Onam season.
Meanwhile, Balakrishnan will be going to Chennai for further treatment. Earlier, when Balakrishnan had stepped down from the post as part of his treatment, Vijayaraghavan was entrusted as the party secretary in-charge. Vijayaraghavan was holding the charge during the 2021 state election when CPI(M) registered a historic win.
