Communist Party Official Expelled After Attending Opposition Rally
Kannur, India — K.P. Ramani, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) area committee, has been expelled from the party after attending a rally organized by the United Democratic Front (UDF). The decision was announced by CPM district leadership on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
The expulsion follows growing tensions within the CPM regarding candidate selection for the upcoming elections. Ramani’s husband, T.K. Govindan, a former Kannur district secretariat member, is running as an independent candidate with the support of the UDF after publicly criticizing the party’s decision to nominate M.V. Govindan’s wife, P.K. Shyamala, as the candidate for the Thaliparamba constituency.
Govindan announced his departure from the party at a press conference, stating that he was ending a six-decade political career due to what he described as unprecedented practices within the CPM. He also expressed his inability to understand how fellow comrade Pinarayi Vijayan could support such actions. The dispute over the candidate nomination in Thaliparamba has been a long-standing issue within the party.
