Published Oct 05, 2026 | 10:58 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 05, 2026 | 10:58 AM
E N Suresh Babu and V Chenthamarakshan
Synopsis: A woman lawyer submitted digital evidence against Suresh Babu and told the party’s top leadership that she would pursue legal action if the organisation failed to act on her complaint.
The CPI(M)’s decision to replace EN Suresh Babu as Palakkad district secretary has triggered fresh controversy, with a complaint by a woman lawyer and mounting criticism of the party’s electoral and organisational performance adding pressure on the district leadership.
Babu stepped down during an extended district committee meeting on Sunday, 4 October, and former MLA V Chenthamarakshan was chosen as his successor.
The leadership maintained that Babu resigned citing personal reasons.
However, party sources said the decision followed serious criticism of his functioning and a complaint against him submitted by a woman lawyer.
The woman, associated with the lawyers’ organisation, is understood to have submitted digital evidence along with her complaint to the party leadership.
She had also personally met CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan and apprised him of the allegations.
According to party sources, she conveyed that she would pursue legal action if the party failed to respond.
The complaint allegedly relates to an incident at the party office during an organisational programme. The woman is also understood to have alleged that she was subjected to repeated telephone harassment over an extended period.
Party leadership reportedly informed Babu about the seriousness of the allegations.
Sources said the matter is likely to be examined in detail after the organisational proceedings, with further party action against Babu possible depending on the findings.
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During the extended meeting, senior leaders, including Govindan and TP Ramakrishnan, reportedly asked Babu to step aside.
Babu subsequently informed the district secretariat and district committee that he was resigning for personal reasons. No one opposed the move.
Babu proposed Chenthamarakshan as his successor, and the committee accepted it without objection.
The leadership change also came against the backdrop of intense criticism of the Palakkad unit following the Assembly election setbacks.
The LDF suffered defeats in Chittur, Kongad and Thrithala, with the Left’s vote share falling by more than 67,000 votes compared with 2021.
Several district committee members reportedly criticised Babu’s leadership, describing it as “immature and arrogant”.
The handling of factionalism and rebel candidates also drew sharp criticism.
Members alleged that the district leadership failed to contain internal dissent and, in some cases, aggravated the problems instead of resolving them.
Eight new members were inducted into the district committee, while six area secretaries were made special invitees as part of the organisational changes.
Chenthamarakshan, however, said no complaint had been received against Babu, while the party has not publicly disclosed details of the allegations or the evidence submitted.
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The controversy has also taken on a political dimension after former Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil attacked the CPI(M) over the episode.
Without naming the complainant or Babu, Mamkootathil alleged in a social media post that a young lawyer had approached a party leader for professional work and was later called to the party office under the pretext of discussing a case.
He alleged that she was sexually assaulted there and later approached another party leader with her complaint.
Mamkootathil alleged that efforts initially tried to suppress the complaint, but the matter eventually reached senior CPI(M) leadership after the woman insisted on pursuing a police complaint.
He used the episode to question the CPI(M)’s claims of maintaining high ethical standards, particularly in the context of sexual-assault allegations being levelled against him by several women.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
