CPM prepares for government formation

Thiruvananthapuram: With the internal voting statistics compiled by the CPM state leadership also confirming the exit poll findings, the CPM has begun preparations for government formation in the state. General secretary Sitaram Yechury will attend the state secretariat meeting and state committee meeting on Friday. It is learnt that former general secretary Prakash Karat is likely to accompany him.
The agenda of the state committee will be to decide the parliamentary party leader of the CPM.However, the final decision in this regard will be taken at the politburo and central committee meetings to be held on May 21 and 22.
PB member Pinarayi Vijayan will in all probability be the nominee of the state leadership though veteran V S Achuthanandan also contested the poll. Followers of VS believe that Yechury, who played a key role in fielding VS in the fray, will also help him become the chief minister once again.
However, if the LDF gets only a narrow margin, opinion of the other parties in the front will also count. In that event, the CPI's stand will be crucial. It is not a secret that for the CPI, VS is a dearer leader than Pinarayi.
Meanwhile, the CPI state executive will also meet on May 21 to decide its parliamentary party leader.
On Tuesday, Karat told reporters in New Delhi that the CPM-led LDF would win around 85 seats.
Though the CPM doesn't factor any seats for NDA, they foresee that in at least a dozen seats the NDA will be the runner-up.