Kochi: Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) chairman and CPM state committee member C N Mohanan is the new Ernakulam district secretary of the party. He was elected unanimously at a meeting of the district committee.
The district secretary’s post had been lying vacant ever since P Rajeev was elected to the state committee. After Rajeev vacated the post, Mohanan was the favourite to replace him.
Mohanan, the most trusted man in Ernakulam for both chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan as well as party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was considered to the district secretary’s post earlier too. Mohanan landed in the good books of Pinarayi and Kodiyeri after he stood with the official faction even when the Ernakulam district committee was controlled by the VS faction.
During the last district conference, all state committee members from the district were removed from the district committee, but Mohanan was given an exemption. The then district secretary Rajeev also was similarly retained in the district committee. A state committee member can take part in district committee meetings. Though the reason cited for the omission of the other state committee members was to give a chance to new members in the district committee, Mohanan’s retention had raised quite a few eyebrows.
Mohanan was earlier suggested as the district secretary during the party district conference held at Tripunithura. However, severe factionalism existed in the party at that time and he did not get support from all sections. Finally, Rajeev was included in the district committee as a candidate acceptable to both factions and elected as the district secretary.
Over the last four years, factionalism was wiped out in the party, enabling Mohanan, who now enjoys the backing of all members, to be elected unopposed.