Vijayan or VS: Who will be the next CM of Kerala?

During the campaign, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) did not project any leader as the chief ministerial candidate and had said it would be decided after the polls. The CPM has said it will make a final decision on who will be the next Chief Minister of Kerala on Friday.  

The probable candidates for the top slot are party stalwarts V S Achuthanandan and politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan – both of whom were elected in their respective constituencies with a thumping majority.

According to CPI(M) sources, the party leadership will meet in a day or two to elect its legislature party leader and it would be conveyed to the LDF partners, including CPI, NCP and JD(S).  

The has CPI said that the CPI(M) would take a decision on the next chief minister of the state.

"As a major partner in the alliance, the CPI(M) will take the final decision on who will be CM. They will communicate it to other partners, including us, and then we would take a joint decision," CPI Kerala Secretary Kanam Rajendran told PTI, in response to a question on who will be the next chief minister.

The CPI leader, who campaigned extensively in the state, said the legislature party leader of CPI(M) would become the chief minister of Kerala.

"Let them take a decision on their legislature party leader. Then we would give our opinion," Rajendran said.     His statement assumes significance in wake of reports that CPI(M) is not clear on who among the two leaders should become the chief minister.

93-year-old Achuthanandan, popular among the masses, contested from Malampuzha in Palakkad district, while 71-year-old Vijayan, who enjoys considerable clout in the state CPI(M), from Dharmadam in Kannur.

• Kerala
• CPI(M)
• Kerala Polls
• Kerala CM