P. Jayarajan - the new headache for Pinarayi Vijayan

After the Lok Sabha election rout, Kerala's Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is battling a new crisis -- the growing stature of CPI-M colleague P. Jayarajan, who too is from his home turf Kannur. There was a time when Vijayan's main opponent in the party was the veteran V.S. Achuthanandan, a former Chief Minister P. Jayarajan, 66, is different. 

A two-time legislator and a former Kannur district party secretary, Jayarajan is now the rave of party members not just in Kannur but also in other northern districts like Kozhikode and Kasargode where the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) remains a powerful force.
While Achuthanandan had a huge support base from the man on the street, Jayarajan's backing comes from within the rank and file of the CPI-M.
Party leaders admit that Vijayan has started to feel the heat, with Jayarajan almost achieving a 'cult' status, especially in the northern districts. Everywhere in these districts, Jayarajan is omnipresent in the form of huge cardboard cutouts -- showing a personality cult rarely seen in the CPI-M.

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