Thiruvananthapuram: CPI on Monday dropped senior leader C Divakaran from the state council after the party enforced the age criteria set out by its national council for party posts.

His name is not part of the list of people from the Thiruvananthapuram district.

With the state meet set to end today, the move is seen by many as an attempt by party state secretary Kanam Rajendran to assert his supremacy. 

Divakaran's public response just before the conference against the implementation of age criteria and KE Ismail's approach had put the party in a crisis, said many party members, including those who support the two leaders.

With this, the strength of the anti-Kanam faction, which planned to open a front against the state secretary, waned. 

The reason for the dispute yesterday was that the representative of Ernakulam district, who opposed both the leaders, was questioned by a colleague from the same district. It was alleged that the responses of the senior leaders, who received all the support of the party, put the conference in a bad light.