Karunakaran meets governor, fuels speculations

After his meeting with Gandhi, Karunakaran pulled back from his ultimatum to the party leadership to change the Chief Minister by November 19 or face the music.

However, Karunakaran's son and KPCC chief K Muraleedharan today claimed that AK Antony "would never change his style".

Expressing the hope that the central party leadership would soon take a "suitable" decision on solving the crisis in the party in Kerala, Muraleedharan said he did not expect Chief Minister AK Antony to change his style of functioning in any manner.

"With my long years of experience and association (with Antony), I can say the chief minister will not change his style though it can be expected of the party high command to take a suitable decision," he said.

After these two events the CPI-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) held a meeting to discuss a possible vote of no-confidence against Speaker Vakkom Purushothaman and to evaluate the role 23 Congress legislators could play during the vote.

Anti-Karunakaran factions dubbed the senior leader's meeting with the governor as part of "tactics to keep up factional pressures and keep alive his faction's demand for removal of AK Antony as chief minister".

Sources close to Antony said the chief minister did not want to comment on Karunakaran's meeting with the governor as the senior leader himself had described it a "courtesy call".

Antony is expected to be in Delhi tomorrow, where he will discuss the situation in the state party unit with the central party leadership.

Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to replace Antony although the chances of a candidate who would be acceptable to both factions - like Oomen Chandy - becoming the chief minister are high.

At the same time, she cannot ignore the fact that the workers are with Karunakaran and action against him could cost the party heavily in the state.