No one gets the post? CPM eyes formula to leave Deputy Opposition Leader post vacant

Kochi: With the dispute over the Deputy Opposition Leader’s post creating a major political crisis within the LDF, the CPM is reportedly considering a formula under which neither party would claim the position.

According to reports, the CPM is expected to propose to the CPI leadership that the post be left vacant for the time being, allowing the dispute to be settled without either party having to give in to the other.

The post has become a matter of prestige for both parties, making any compromise vulnerable to being seen as a political setback or surrender. Against this backdrop, the CPM has reportedly arrived at the idea of giving up the post altogether. If the CPM agrees to forgo the position, the CPI is also likely to soften its stand.

The CPM has been pushing for K.N. Balagopal to take up the post, while the CPI has been insisting on former minister and CPI Parliamentary Party leader K. Rajan. Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K. Mani has also called for an early resolution to the dispute.

The disagreement has affected the functioning of the LDF, with the alliance reportedly unable to hold a proper meeting even after the government completed 100 days in office. The CPI had maintained that an LDF meeting could be held only after a decision was reached on the Deputy Opposition Leader’s post.

The dispute intensified after CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam publicly insisted that the post should go to the CPI, while Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan said that he had already made it clear that the post would remain with the CPM and that only a formal letter was pending.

CPM leaders C.N. Mohanan and party secretary M.V. Govindan subsequently reiterated that the post would go to the CPM, citing established convention. CPI leaders, including P. Santhosh Kumar and Rajaji Mathew Thomas, countered that some conventions must change and urged the CPM to be open to a different approach. Youth leaders from both parties also added to the dispute through social media.

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Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League had reportedly extended an invitation to the CPI amid the growing tensions. Had the CPM taken the Deputy Opposition Leader’s post, the CPI was considering taking a tougher position, including the possibility of sitting as a separate bloc, according to reports.

With Pinarayi Vijayan having publicly ruled out any compromise on the post, giving it up in favour of the CPI was also becoming increasingly difficult for the CPM.

The emerging formula of leaving the post vacant could therefore offer both parties a way out without either side having to formally concede. The move is aimed at resolving the dispute while avoiding further damage to relations within the LDF.