Intense jostling ahead of CPI state secretary polls
As per party rules, a state secretary can serve only three consecutive three-year terms. Mutharasan, who has held the post since 2015, has already completed three terms, with his latest election in 2022 delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He has, therefore, been at the helm for nearly a decade.
Though his tenure technically ends now, a section of senior leaders indicated that a precedent exists for a fourth term. They pointed out that after a 2002 amendment to the party constitution, veteran leader R Nallakannu was elected to a fourth consecutive term as state secretary. 'If the same principle applies, Mutharasan may once again be in the race. That is why there appears to be less visible competition among senior leaders,' a functionary told TNIE on condition of anonymity.
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