Thiruvananthapuram:
The red citadel has been breached in Kerala in these elections. But though his party CPM suffered huge losses, it is still a gain for Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan.
Ironically, Achuthanandan was in an unusually cheerful mood hours after the Congress-led UDF swept the polls.
"Why should I take responsibility for the poor performance by the party in Kerala? I will tell the Politburo members in Delhi what went wrong. We will discuss the matter and take a decision," he said.
So why is CPM's loss in Kerala the Chief Minister's gain?
The decision to make Madhani's PDP an ally of the CPM by state CPM secretary Pinarayi Vijayan diverted votes to the Congress. Much against the Chief Minister's wish, Pinarayi Vijayan took away the contentious Ponnani seat from CPI to field Hussein Randathani, an Independent who lost.
Ministers supporting Vijayan in the Cabinet demanded Chief Minister's resignation for taking a stand divergent from the party on the SNC Lavalin scandal.
The party was against Vijayan's prosecution in the Lavalin scandal by the CBI. But Achuthanandan said law should take its own course.
"The infighting in the CPM has been a major issue and people are aware of the politics played," said Ramesh Chennithala, president, KPCC.
Sources close to Achuthanandan camp in the Cabinet say the Chief Minister has decided to now take on his party's secretary. Whether he manages to get Pinarayi Vijayan replaced or not, he will certainly continue as Kerala's CM much against the demand for his resignation from his own ministers.