Kottayam: The CPM Kottayam district committee on Sunday elected T R Raghunath as its new district secretary. The decision was taken following the demise of former secretary A V Russel at a district committee meeting attended by the party’s state secretary, M V Govindan. The district secretariat approved the state secretariat’s decision.

District secretariat member K M Radhakrishnan chaired the meeting, which was also attended by state secretariat members Minister V N Vasavan and P K Biju, along with state committee member K Anil Kumar. Raghunath was elected to the state committee during the CPM state conference held in Kollam. Russel, who had been serving as the Kottayam district secretary, passed away on February 21 while undergoing treatment for cancer.

Raghunath is a member of the All India Working Committee of CITU and serves as the state vice president and Kottayam district secretary of the organisation. A native of Arpookara Arumanur, he began his public life through SFI while studying at Baselius College, Kottayam. He has previously held positions as the CPM Arpookara area secretary and DYFI district president.

He also served as the Pallom Block Panchayat president for seven and a half years and was the LDF district convener. Additionally, he chairs the Kottayam Co-operative Urban Bank and holds key positions as the secretary of the Pampady liquor industry workers' union and the president of the KPPL Employees' Union.