Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 4
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday asked the visiting delegation of the NCP-SP members that they will have to wait to replace their leader -- state Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran -- by his party legislator Thomas K.
Thomas. Speaking to the media soon after meeting Vijayan, state unit president of NCP-SP P.C. Chacko said they have discussed with the party's national leadership of the decision made recently that Saseendran would "make way" for Thomas.
The NCP-SP leaders were told by Vijayan that he needed a bit more time to make a decision on this matter.
On September 28, national president of NCP-SP, Sharad Pawar, after a meeting with Chacko, Saseendran and Thomas, asked them to call on CM Vijayan to convey the party's decision.
According to political analysts, it was after several months of perseverance that Thomas succeeded in convincing the party leadership to let him replace senior party colleague Saseendran as the state's new Forest Minister. Later, Chacko made an official announcement regarding this.
In Kerala, the NCP-SP is part of the ruling CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front and has two legislators - Saseendran and Thomas.
Since November 2023, affairs in the party's Kerala unit have been turbulent after Thomas put his foot down, demanding the earlier decided formula where Saseendran would step down after two and half years and Thomas would take over as minister.
But while two other LDF constituents who have just one legislator made way for two other parties having just one legislator, Saseendran did not make way for Thomas.
Thomas is the brother of the late former state minister, Thomas Chandy, who passed away in 2019.
Chandy was an NRI businessman-turned-legislator and, because he was busy with his business interests in Kuwait, it was Thomas who was always looking after the Kuttanadu Assembly constituency in Alappuzha district.
The NCP did not have to look elsewhere for the 2021 Assembly polls and on expected lines, Thomas won the seat.
However, when Vijayan constituted the Cabinet in 2021, the NCP decided to stick with Saseendran for another turn.