Kerala CPI-M party membership crosses 5 lakh

Thiruvananthapuram, June 24 (IANS) Even as Kerala's ruling CPI-M is trying to come to terms with one of its worst ever poll performances, its party membership has crossed five lakh, a senior leader said on Monday.State CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the total party membership has crossed five lakh."Compared from previously, this time 25,695 new members joined our party and the total membership has reached 5,14,781," he said.In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the CPI-M-led Left saw its tally drop from eight to a mere one seat, with the remaining 19 seats going to the Congress-led UDF.Balakrishnan is presently caught in a bind after his eldest son Binoy V. Balakrishnan was accused in a rape case and is presently on the run, after a 33-year-old woman alleged that he had been sexually exploiting her for several years on the pretext of marriage.
--IANS sg/kr