Kerala: P.K. Sasi quits as KTDC chairman amid growing rift with CPI(M)

Amid speculation that P.K. Sasi, former Palakkad district secretariat member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], may join hands with the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, he stepped down as chairman of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) on Thursday (February 19, 2026), tendering his resignation to the Tourism Secretary. The former CPI(M) MLA from Shoranur submitted his resignation amid growing rift with the party leadership.

Mr. Sasi later responded to the media that his resignation was purely due to “personal reasons” and that he has “no plans” to join the UDF. However, he is expected to meet the media formally on Friday.

Mr. Sasi, who was demoted to the branch committee from the district committee by the party, had been distancing himself from party programmes of late. Mr. Sasi faced party’s disciplinary action following the findings of an inquiry commission that he was involved in alleged financial misappropriation.

After the disciplinary action, the party district committee had asked him to quit the KTDC chairmanship. However, he refused to resign. In the meantime, he also stayed away from the north Kerala leg of the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) Vikasana Munnetta Jatha being led by party State secretary M.V. Govindan when the march reached Palakkad district on Sunday, deepening the rift with the party.

Although Mr. Sasi claimed that he had abstained from the LDF march due to health issues, there had been rumours that he might contest as an Independent UDF candidate from Ottapalam in the coming Assembly elections. He is expected to clarify his position in detail while addressing the media on Friday.

Mr. Sasi had earlier faced another disciplinary action, with the party suspending him for six months in 2018 following charges of sexually harassing a woman. He returned to the party two years later.