First signs of dissent against Kerala CM Vijayan emerge post CPI-M state conference. A veteran party leader walks out soon after the new state committee was announced. The newly constituted 89-member state committee, featuring 17 fresh faces, is overwhelmingly composed of Pinarayi Vijayan loyalists. Those out of favour with the Chief Minister have been sidelined. The conference outcome cements Vijayan’s dominance over the party, just as in the government. The new faces clearly indicate that anyone not in the good books of State Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas (Vijayan’s son-in-law) has been left out. The matter will be taken up by our district committee in the presence of state leaders, says Pathanamthitta district secretary Raju Abraham. Even the Thiruvananthapuram districtCPI-M unit is reportedly upset, as none of its leaders have made it to the state secretariat. A political observer, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that the conference outcomes cements the dominance of Vijayan.