Deputy Speaker post no barrier to serving as CPI district secretary, says Chittayam Gopakumar

Communist Party of India (CPI) national council member and Adoor MLA Chittayam Gopakumar, who has been elected as the party’s Pathanamthitta district secretary, said his position as Deputy Speaker of the Assembly will not affect his political responsibilities.

“The Speaker is the one expected to stay away from political activity. The Deputy Speaker’s role comes into play only when the Speaker assigns or empowers it. So, the post is not a barrier for me to function as district secretary,” he said after being elected to the post at the district conference in Konni, which concluded on Saturday.

Speaking to the media, he also voiced confidence that the LDF will retain all five Assembly seats in the district.

“The people have recognised the results of the LDF government’s development projects over the past nine years. This will be reflected in the upcoming elections. In Pathanamthitta, the LDF will retain all seats with comfortable margins,” he said.

Mr. Gopakumar began his political career through the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), becoming a member of its State committee before joining the CPI branch committee at the age of 18. He later became active in the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).

First elected to the Assembly in 2011, Mr. Gopakumar defeated the Congress candidate Pandalam Sudhakaran in Adoor by 607 votes. In 2016, he won against K.K. Shaju by a margin of 25,460 votes. However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he lost to Congress leader Kodikunnil Suresh in Mavelikara by 61,138 votes. In the 2021 Assembly elections, he regained Adoor, defeating Congress candidate M.G. Kannan by 2,919 votes.