Thiruvananthapuram, 14 August (H.S.):CPM state committee member Chintha Jerome is set to become the new Kerala president of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), while Kalliasseri MLA M Vijin is likely to take over as the organisation’s state secretary.

The leadership changes are expected to be formally announced during the DYFI state conference scheduled to be held in Thrissur from August 19 to 22. The proposed appointments were reportedly finalised at a recent party leadership meeting.

Chintha, a prominent CPM leader from Kollam, began her political career through the student movement and later emerged as one of the party’s prominent young faces. Her support among sections of the CPM’s state and national leadership is understood to have strengthened her candidature for the president’s post.

Former Thiruvananthapuram mayor Arya Rajendran was also reportedly considered for the position, with a section of the leadership backing her candidature. However, CPM state secretary M V Govindan and other senior leaders are understood to have favoured Chintha.

Vijin, who was elected from Kalliasseri for a second consecutive term in the latest Assembly election, has considerable organisational experience. He previously served as the state secretary of the Students’ Federation of India, the CPM’s student wing. His performance during his tenure in the SFI is believed to have helped him emerge as the preferred candidate for the DYFI secretary’s post.

The DYFI’s decision to enforce an upper age limit of 38 for office-bearers also reportedly worked in Vijin’s favour. The move had earlier drawn criticism from some quarters, with certain leaders describing it as a unilateral decision by Govindan.

The organisation usually changes its leadership once every three years. However, four years have elapsed since the previous state conference, held in Pathanamthitta in 2022. V K Sanoj and V Vaseef were elected DYFI state president and secretary, respectively, at that conference.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman