Published Mar 16, 2026 | 8:29 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 16, 2026 | 8:29 PM
TK Govindan and V Kunhikrishnan
Synopsis: The CPI(M) in Kerala is facing a rare internal rebellion in its Kannur stronghold ahead of the Assembly elections, with district secretariat member TK Govindan announcing that he will contest as a rebel in Thaliparambu against the party’s nominee, PK Shyamala. The move follows expelled party leader V Kunhikrishnan also entering the fray as an independent in Payyannur.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] in Kerala is facing perhaps its biggest open internal rebellion in its long-time bastion Kannur, with just weeks to go before the state heads to Assembly polls.
District secretariat member TK Govindan, unhappy with the party’s choice of candidate in Thaliparambu, has declared that he will enter the fray as a rebel candidate against the party’s nominee, PK Shyamala. She is the wife of CPI(M) State Secretary MV Govindan, who is the sitting Thaliparambu MLA.
Thaliparambu has been a Left bastion since 1977. In 2021, MK Govindan won the constituency with a margin of more than 22,000 votes. He had earlier represented the seat in 1996 and again in 2001.
PK Shyamala
The move follows a similar step by former CPI(M) Kannur district committee member V Kunhikrishnan, whom the party expelled in January. He has said he will contest in Payyannur, yet another Left stronghold in Kannur. The party has held the seat continuously since 1967.
In the last Assembly election, TI Madhusoodanan secured 93,695 votes with a margin of nearly 50,000 votes and a vote share exceeding 62 percent. The Congress candidate finished a distant second with around 29 percent.
More damaging for the party, Govindan has also accused the state leadership of nepotism and financial irregularities.
At a press conference at the Kannur Press Club on 16 March, Govindan accused MV Govindan of promoting nepotism in the party and said Shyamala’s candidature was the result of an organised move within the leadership.
He said that when discussions on candidate selection came up in the district secretariat, leaders first announced that Thaliparambu would have a woman candidate.
“Then the name of PK Shyamala came up. But this was strongly objected. Another name that faced objection was TI Madhusoodanan’s who is sitting MLA of Payyannur. However, in the case of Thaliparambu, when the name was forwarded to the state secretariat, only Shyamala’s name was sent and it was readily accepted,” he said.
MV Govindan
Govindan said the decision triggered protests from several local committees and went against the party’s moral principles.
“MV Govindan has already been MLA three times. Now he wants his wife to contest. This was opposed at various levels of the party, but the decision was pushed through,” he said.
Govindan added that he had raised the issue repeatedly within party forums but saw no corrective action. “I fought within the party structure, but I failed. As a mark of protest against this injustice, I have decided to contest,” he said.
Govindan also took aim at MV Govindan, saying he had not submitted details of spending from his MLA funds before party forums for internal audit, a practice senior leaders are generally expected to follow.
The allegation relates to the Happiness International Film Festival, whose third edition took place in February. Govindan said such issues had also caused dissatisfaction among sections of the party rank and file.
He also revived the political debate around the 2019 suicide of NRI businessman Sajan Parayil in Anthoor. Shyamala was serving as chairperson of Anthoor Municipality at the time and had faced criticism following the incident.
Govindan said the party had then promised strong action against her, but nothing materialised. The issue has resurfaced during the candidate selection and has made the candidature politically sensitive in the constituency.
Notably, Govindan—who earlier served as chairman of the Kerala State Handloom Development Corporation (Hanveev)—said that while he will contest as an independent, he would welcome support from the Congress-led United Democratic Front if it chose to back him.
“At the same time, I do not want the backing of communal forces like the BJP,” he said.
The Congress had earlier decided to field VP Abdul Rasheed, who contested from Thaliparambu in the previous election. Party sources said the leadership is closely watching the developments and may rethink its strategy if Govindan formally enters the fray.
Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader MV Jayarajan accused Govindan of being “political betrayer” and a “class betrayer”.
He also insisted that Govindan’s claims against Shyamala had no basis and added that voters would deliver a “fitting reply” to such accusations.
Moreover, he pointed to Govindan’s remark about accepting support from the UDF and said those words themselves show the kind of politics now being played.
The developments in Thaliparambu came close on the heels of expelled district committee member V Kunhikrishnan announcing that he will contest the upcoming Assembly election as an independent against the party in Payyannur.
His decision followed the party’s move to once again field sitting MLA TI Madhusoodanan from the constituency.
At a press conference, Kunhikrishnan said he had initially withheld his decision in the hope that the party would reconsider its choice of candidate. When that did not happen, he said he was left with no option but to enter the fray.
Kunhikrishnan said he was not rebelling against the Left but contesting in protest against “corruption within the party’s local leadership”.
“The Left must remain strong in Kerala. But the candidate in Payyannur does not represent the values the Left stands for,” he said.
TI Madhusoodanan
A five-decade veteran of the party, Kunhikrishnan was expelled earlier this year after he publicly repeated allegations of financial irregularities involving party leaders in Payyannur.
The allegations relate to funds collected for the family of slain party worker CV Dhanaraj and money raised to build the party’s Payyannur area committee office in 2016, when Madhusoodanan served as area secretary.
Kunhikrishnan has also accused leaders of misusing funds collected for the 2021 Assembly election campaign.
The dispute first surfaced inside party forums between 2022 and 2023, when Kunhikrishnan was serving as the party’s Payyannur area secretary. He later took the allegations public, which led to disciplinary action.
In January this year, the party expelled V Kunhikrishnan from its primary membership after he repeated the allegations in a television interview.
District Secretary KK Ragesh said at the time that Kunhikrishnan had acted “in the interests of the party’s enemies” by reopening issues the district committee had already examined.
Still, Kunhikrishnan did not back down and released a book titled Nethruthwathe Anikal Thiruthanam (“The Rank Should Correct the Leadership”) at Gandhi Park in February.
The event drew a large crowd despite opposition from the party and heavy police deployment. Supporters said the turnout showed that his allegations had struck a chord among grassroots supporters.
Moreover, recent political developments suggest that some discontent within the constituency has surfaced.
In the latest municipal elections, expelled former Democratic Youth Federation of India leader Vaishak C defeated the CPI(M) candidate in the Kara division of Payyannur Municipality by 458 votes, pushing the party to third place.
Vaishak has since publicly urged Kunhikrishnan to contest the Assembly election. Local political observers say sections of party sympathisers and some former leaders may quietly back his campaign.
Kunhikrishnan said he intends to run a modest campaign, relying largely on media outreach and social media rather than a traditional, resource-heavy effort.
“I will not collect funds or conduct a lavish campaign,” he said. “But those who believe in this struggle will stand with me.”
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
