A leader who had held the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s [CPI(M)] red flag for over four decades, P.V. Chandran, has found himself in a different camp this time around.
A former CPI(M) councillor, the 60-year-old is contesting this time as a United Democratic Front (UDF)-backed Independent candidate from the newly delimited Vyttila ward of the Kochi city Corporation, formed by merging the Champakkara ward—which he represented from 2015 to 2020—with the Vyttila ward. He was expelled from the CPI(M) last year following a skirmish at the party’s local committee office at Pettah.
Mr. Chandran claims that the party did not take any official action against him but announced his expulsion at a public meeting held in connection with the district committee meeting. “I had no role in the clash that broke out among local committee leaders. I neither assaulted anyone nor was I assaulted. I was not named an accused in any case registered in connection with the incident. Yet, I was expelled even without being asked an explanation,” said Mr. Chandran, who had been a member of the party’s Thrikkakara area committee and served as the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) parliamentary party secretary in the Corporation during his tenure as councillor.
‘Perfect candidate’
The UDF has allocated the Vyttila ward to its alliance partner, Kerala Congress (Joseph), under which Mr. Chandran has been fielded as an Independent. Asked why Mr. Chandran was chosen for the ward, Ernakulam District Congress Committee president Muhammed Shiyas said the decision was based on a consensus that being a victim of CPI(M) factionalism, he was the ‘perfect’ candidate for the constituency.
Mr. Chandran said though he did not have the backing of any party for over a year, he remained active among the people as a social worker. “People in the ward know that I will stand with them during times of crisis, that they can approach me even during midnight, I can sense that confidence when I meet them. The UDF’s organisational machinery is also firmly supporting me,” he said.
Published – November 13, 2025 05:12 pm IST
