P.K. Sasi to quit CPI(M), to contest in Ottapalam as Independent

Communist Party of India (Marxist) dissident and former MLA P.K. Sasi is set to quit the party and contest the Ottapalam Assembly seat as a United Democratic Front (UDF)-backed Independent. Sources close to him said he decided to leave the party after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was in Palakkad on Tuesday, declined to meet him.

Mr. Sasi is expected to inaugurate a convention of party rebels at Parvathy Kalyana Mandapam, Chandranagar, on Thursday morning. Both the CPI(M) district leadership and the UDF are closely tracking the event, as the turnout could shape their electoral calculations.

While CPI(M) leaders insist that his exit will not dent the party’s prospects, the UDF hopes to leverage his influence. Sources indicate that a sizeable section of local cadre may follow him.

The CPI(M) initiated disciplinary action against Mr. Sasi in 2024, demoting him from the district committee to branch level. He continued as KTDC chairman until recently. A former MLA from Shoranur, he was once considered a key organiser and fundraiser, and had been protected by the leadership against various allegations.

Action against him intensified after E.N. Suresh Babu became district secretary, with Excise Minister M.B. Rajesh also taking a stand against him. Mr. Sasi had publicly criticised the party during the recent local body elections.

He retains significant influence in Mannarkkad and Kongad regions. The party leadership was careful not to provoke or alienate him further during the panchayat elections.

His participation in Thursday’s convention signals a formal break amid deepening factionalism within the district unit.

Internal divisions, coupled with anti-incumbency sentiment, hurt the CPI(M) in the recent panchayat elections. A group led by former Kozhinjampara panchayat president M. Satheesh quit the party, alleging that it had strayed from its principles and aligned with the wealthy. The CPI(M) subsequently lost control of the Kozhinjampara panchayat, which it had governed for years.

Thursday’s meeting is expected to be a show of strength by the dissidents. Mr. Satheesh said around 500 workers are likely to attend, and a few district committee members may join Mr. Sasi.