Chandrappan re-elected CPI state secretary

KOLLAM:  The CPI state conference which concluded here on Saturday, re-elected veteran leader C K Chandrappan as the party state secretary. For someone who had given the party a new direction, his unanimous election to the post was on the expected lines. It is the first instance of him getting elected to the post at the party conference. The 76-year-old was elected to the post in a state council meeting on November 14, 2010, after the veteran leader Veliyam Bhargavan vacated the post citing poor health. Veliyam Bhargavan had led the party in the state for over 14 years since 1996. The conference of Saturday also elected an 89-member state council and a 7-member control commission. Chandrappan entered politics as student activist during the 1950s. He had served as the national president and general secretary of the All-India Students Federation (AISF) and president and general secretary of the All-India Youth Federation (AIYF). The soft-spoken CPI state secretary had maintained a clean image and had earned a name as a parliamentarian of repute. He is the son of illustrious communist leader C K Kumara Panikker, who is known as Vayalar Stalin.  He is married to party activist from Bengal, Bulu Roy Chodhary.