For more than a decade, 92-year-old VS Achuthanandan of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), and 72-year-old Oommen Chandy of the Congress were busy men, travelling across the state.
However, with a change in government, they are now cooling their heels.
Both former chief ministers and leaders of opposition, today, they have been relegated to the role of mere legislators.
Achuthanandan came into the limelight in 2001, when he was made leader of the opposition. In 2006, he became Chief Minister. From 2011, when he was relieved of his post untill May 2016, he was once again leader of the opposition.
Chandy came into power in 2004, replacing AK Antony as Chief Minister. From 2006 until 2011, he was leader of the opposition. From then on, until last month, he was Chief Minister.
Achuthanandan expected a tenure for leading the Left front’s winning campaign in the assembly polls, the results of which were declared on 19 May this year. But after the job was done, he was asked to make way for 71-year-old arch party rival Pinarayi Vijayan.
Similarly, Chandy was expecting to be rewarded for creating history by returning to power, but voters thought otherwise and the Congress-led UDF suffered one of its worst electoral reverses.
Taking moral responsibility for the defeat, Chandy decided against taking the post of leader of the opposition and opted to remain an ordinary legislator.
And when the assembly meets for its first full business session, two former Chief Ministers will be watching the proceedings from the front row.
Both Achuthanandan and Chandy have now moved out of their official residences. While the former has rented a home in the capital city, the latter now resides in his own home in Thiruvanathapuram.
The Speaker of the new assembly, P Sreeramakrishnan, personally telephoned the two veterans and allotted them two spacious flats at the legislators’ hostel from where their office will function.
In Kerala politics, five years is all you get.
(Published in an arrangement with IANS. Sanu George can be contacted at sanu.g@ians.in)
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