CPI(M) State conference to begin in Kochi today

Yechury to open meet at Marine Drive

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) State conference in Ernakulam, in the runup to the 23rd Party Congress in Kannur in early April, is set to get under way on Tuesday.

It’s after a gap of 37 years that Ernakulam is hosting the party’s State conference. If the 1985-conference was eventful with an alternative political line for an alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) subsequently leading to the ouster of M.V. Raghavan and a few others from the CPI(M), the party is a house in order going into the State meeting now.

The meeting, to be attended by 400 delegates besides observers, is slated to discuss and firm up a vision document for the development of the State.

Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury will inaugurate the delegate session at the conference venue set up at Marine Drive at 10 a.m.

Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, S. Ramachandran Pillai, Brinda Karat, M. A. Baby, and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will attend the inaugural session.

The four-day session will witness the party delegates discussing the political report to be presented by State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and the party’s view on the next 25 years of Kerala development. While the organisational report will be presented at 12.15 p.m., the document on Kerala development will be presented by Mr. Vijayan at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

The group discussions on the political report will begin at 5.30 p.m. and that of the vision document on Thursday. The conference will elect the new State committee members, State secretary, and the delegates for the party congress on Friday. Mr. Vijayan will inaugurate a public meeting on Friday at 5 p.m. at Marine Drive.