CPM to dissolve Payyannur area committee over anti-party activities

Kannur: The Kannur district committee of the CPM has recommended the dissolution of its Payyannur area committee following allegations of factionalism and anti-party activities, including claims that some leaders worked against the party's official candidate in the 2026 Assembly election.

The recommendation came after the district committee discussed the findings of a two-member inquiry commission appointed by the party to investigate internal issues in the Payyannur unit. After day-long deliberations, the committee reportedly reached a consensus that the area committee should be dissolved.

According to the inquiry panel, the issues within the Payyannur Area Committee were serious enough to warrant disciplinary action. The report also linked the party's unexpected defeat in the Payyannur Assembly constituency to internal sabotage.

The CPM suffered one of its biggest electoral setbacks in the 2026 Assembly election in Payyannur, where senior party leader T.I. Madhusoodanan lost despite the constituency having traditionally returned the party with a margin of around 50,000 votes.

The seat was won by V. Kunhikrishnan, who had quit the CPM just months before the election. The inquiry commission reportedly concluded that his victory was not solely due to electoral factors but was aided by the support of certain members of the Payyannur area committee.

The panel found that some committee members had allegedly canvassed votes for Kunhikrishnan in secret and attempted to influence voters against the official CPM candidate. It also alleged that some party functionaries engaged in anti-party activities despite holding positions within the district committee.

Based on these findings, the district committee decided to recommend dissolving the Payyannur Area Committee as part of the party's corrective measures.

A temporary committee is being constituted to oversee the unit, with P. Harindran, a CPM district secretariat member from Panoor, appointed as its secretary. The interim committee will include district committee members from Payyannur as well as selected members of the area committee.