The re-election of the doughty Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, 67, as the state secretary for the fourth consecutive term proves that the party will not brook even the least challenge to his authority from the Opposition leader, Mr V S Achuthanandan. The latter, sources say, has even sought to be relieved of the post of Opposition leader.

The clout of Mr Vijayan was evident in the leadership getting Mr Achuthanandan propose his arch rival’s name for the post of state secretary. Born on March 21, 1944, to Mundayil Koran and Kalyani, in village Pinarayi, Kannur, which is also the birthplace of the Communist movement in the state, Mr Vijayan has risen from the ranks to become the indispensable leader of the CPI (M).

For Mr Vijayan, the state meet could not have come at a more opportune time since the central committee had clamped a three-term tenure for secretaries. He has been the secretary since 1998. The forthcoming party Congress in Kozhikode in April would ratify the proposal.

His organizational foray was in the company of Mr Achuthanandan, effectively neutralizing well-entrenched CITU lobby at the Palakkad state conference.

It was Mr. Achuthanandan who ensured his entry into the politburo in 2002 although he was a logical choice being the State secretary.

Mr Vijayan eventually became the veteran leader’s main target.

He ended up being the seventh accused in the SNC Lavalin graft case and Mr Achuthanandan’s contribution to arraigning him is an open secret.

The 84-member state committee is packed with Pinarayi loyalists.

This gives him the leverage to decide the course of the party in the state for the next three years. Now, whither Mr Achuthanandan?

He stands alone in the party hierarchy, waiting on the mercy of the central leadership to be re-inducted in the politburo. His camp has been decimated.

Just one of the 556 delegates had the courage to speak against the highly critical and anti-Achuthanandan organizational report.

Although this is the consummate victory of the rival camp over Mr Achuthanandan, the latter had stayed the course, taking in every successive organizational setback, by using the democratic platform outside the party. He would continue to play the anti-graft crusader.

He’s no pushover as is evident from his skills to electrify the Left crowd. He still remains the most popular face of the party and has friends like Mr Sitaram Yechury and Ms Brinda Karat in the politburo. But Mr Karat cannot ignore Mr Vijayan, who is the big boss in Kerala.

Don’t threaten me with ‘capital punishment’: VS

For a while, the huge army of red volunteers and party supporters at the CPI(M) State rally here looked nonplussed, and then let out a loud roar.

The large crowd first failed to grasp the logic of Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan's sharply repeated references to the ultimate sacrifices rendered by comrades. But, the moment he mentioned the word, “capital punishment,” in his inimitable style, the crowd went into a rapturous applause.

Achuthanandan was alluding to media reports which had said DYFI state president M Swaraj, a staunch loyalist of party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, demanded that the former chief minister be given capital punishment for his alleged misdeeds against the party.

“There's now a campaign, demanding capital punishment to V S Achuthanandan,” the senior leader pointed out, adding, “Please do not try to intimidate.

It simply won't wash with us who had braved the worst torture”. The veteran leader’s warning was directed not at Swaraj, per se, but at his Pinarayi Vijayan, feel observers here.

“Do not run down the great sacrifices of our martyrs who'd resisted the might of oppressive forces, tyrannical state agencies and braved bullets… people love this party because of their heroic struggles.

Do not belittle them, their revolutionary struggles. We will not be cowed down by such threats,” thundered Achuthanandan, as politburo members including Prakash Karat looked on.