Kerala's new CM Vijayan will find an Opposition in Achuthanandan

It was being billed as the battle after the battle for Kerala. But a day after the election results, no one saw red and in a matter of a few minutes, Pinarayi Vijayan was announced as the chief minister designate of Kerala in the presence of CPM’s national leadership of Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat.

Through the campaign, former chief minister VS Achuthanandan was seen as the other aspirant for the top job. After all, his CV was impressive. He was immensely popular and has this amazing ability to connect with the masses with his brilliant oratory. Yes, the age factor went against him but almost as if to negate that, he took to social media with a vengeance, even shooting selfies using a selfie stick.

The VS versus Pinarayi rivalry has defined CPM’s internal politics for over a decade now. As Vijayan gets set to take over, it is as if while the people of Kerala chose VS, the LDF MLAs chose Vijayan.

What is also significant is that the Karat line seems to have worked. Karat has always backed Vijayan over Achuthanandan and this time was no different. In past battles, it is VS who has been handed out more stiff punishment than his younger comrade.

Vijayan last contested an Assembly election in 1996, when he went on to become the Power minister of Kerala. The stint between 1996-98 saw him getting embroiled in the SNC Lavalin case, with Vijayan accused of corruption. That case has been a millstone around his neck, not allowing him to upstage Achuthanandan of the squeaky clean reputation in the past.

Now no more. Given Achuthanandan’s age, it was easier this time for Vijayan to throw his hat into the ring more emphatically. He had also prepared well for the move from being a former power minister to occupying the real seat of power in Kerala, packing the CPM’s list of candidates with his own men and women. Achuthanandan could not get tickets for most of his supporters, thereby losing the leadership battle even before the first ballot was cast.

Unlike in the past, when the CPM leadership played dirty, not giving VS a ticket to contest till protests from the cadre forced its hand, this time Yechury who is known to have a soft corner for the nonagenarian, allowed both VS and Vijayan to contest. It ensured that the entire CPM cadre fought like one unit, refusing to be drawn into the media debate of who will be the CM in the event of a LDF victory.

Yechury today described VS as Fidel Castro, saying his role in Kerala and CPM will be decided by the party. Knowing VS, he will not walk into his political sunset. He is more likely to be the watchdog of the Vijayan government – an opposition within the LDF.

But Vijayan is an apt choice, known for his administrative skills. Making Achuthanandan would have been disastrous given the Vijayan majority in the CPM and would have led to constant squabbles.

One will have to wait and see how long the peace will last in the Red ranks. On many occasions in the past, VS has taken a line against his party. Like when he visited Rema, the widow of former Marxist TP Chandrasekharan, who was hacked to death allegedly by CPM activists for being a renegade. Many in the party at that time, including Vijayan, were not amused by Achuthanandan’s move.

Vijayan’s ascendence also means Kannur will now rule Kerala. Given the violent history of the district in Malabar, where frequent clashes between CPM and RSS workers result in killings, Kerala will watch how Vijayan as CM acts on cases of political murders. Will he act like a statesman and try to reach out to the RSS to arrive at a truce or whether the police will look the other way while CPM activists, boosted by their power in Thiruvananthapuram, target RSS cadre.

Kerala can celebrate that it has got a new chief minister. The challenge for Vijayan will be to become a people’s chief minister.