Our Correspondent /
CPIM Politburo member and MLA from Dharmadam Pinarayi Vijayan will be the next chief minister of Kerala. The CPM secretariat and the state party committee met in Thiruvananthapuram earlier today in the presence of general secretary Sitaram Yechury and nominated Vijayan as the next chief minister of the state.
92-year-old CPI(M) veteran V S Achutanandan, who was also in the race for the post, was called to the state secretariat and informed about the decision. He soon left for his Cantonment house.
Sources in the CPM said Achuthanandan heard about the decision and left the party headquarters for his official residence.
One source said Achuthanandan did not seem happy as he had expected at least a short stint as chief minister before making way to Vijayan.
Achuthanandan, elected from Malampuzha constituency, earlier told reporters that he was ready to become chief minister if the party nods in his favour. Achuthanandan, who led the LDF election campaign in the state, is popular among the masses and is a former chief minister of the state.