Friday, March 17 2006 17:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The CPI(M) Polit Bureau will meet here on Tuesday (Mar 21 2006) to take stock of preparations for the Assembly elections in five states, including Kerala, where the party is facing the worst crisis in recent years over the question of leadership.

Senior leaders said "all issues" pertaining to elections would be reviewed, but the stalemate in Kerala triggered by the state leadership's decision to drop senior leader V S Achuthanandan from the electoral fray is likely to take centre stage during the deliberations.

With barely a month left for elections, CPI(M) in Kerala is facing an unprecedented crisis following the official faction led by party state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan's decision to drop Achuthanandan and project LDF convenor Paloli Mohammed Kutty as the Front's probable Chief Ministerial candidate.

The decision, taken despite strong sentiments expressed by a sizeable number in the state committee, has sparked protests across the state by loyalists of the 83-year-old leader, who has been spearheading a campaign against "deviationist trends" in the party for quite some time.

The Polit Bureau will also review poll preparations in West Bengal, where the party has already announced its candidates and started campaigning, and Assam where it has entered into an alliance with Asom Gana Parishad to form an anti-BJP, anti-Congress platform.

In Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, the party is fighting elections as part of the DMK-led DPA alliance.