Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 25 (TIWN) Top CPI-M leader P. Sathidevi has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Kerala Women's Commission, said a statement issued by the Commission, here on Saturday.

The post of the panel’s chairperson has been lying vacant for more than a month after CPM leader M C Josephine was forced to quit following her anti-women statements. Following the controversies over her remarks, CPM had asked her to step down. Sources said that an official announcement of the appointment of the new women’s panel chief would be made later. Speculations are rife over the possibility of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan taking over as the party’s state secretary.

The senior leader had taken leave from the post, citing health problems at the height of the controversy over the arrest of his younger son in November 2020. CPM acting state secretary A Vijayaraghavan told reporters on Tuesday that CPM state conference would be held in Ernakulam in February next year.

The party district conferences would be held in December and January. The branch meetings would start in the second week of September,Vijayaraghavan said. “The state committee has asked the government to make efforts to attract all sorts of capital investment that can be acceptable for upholding the interest of the state and public,” Vijayaraghavan added.