Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 31 : On expected lines, CPM leader and now estranged former Kerala minister E.P. Jayarajan was removed as Left Democratic Front (LDF) convenor on Saturday.

The decision was conveyed to the media here by CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan, soon after the day-long state committee meeting was over.

'Jayarajan has stepped down as Left convenor and TP Ramakrishnan will take over and this is no action. We took an overall analysis of the Lok Sabha elections and we don't need to tell you the organisational decisions. He will continue as a Central Committee member,' said Govindan.

Jayarajan for a while has been the cynosure of all eyes as he surprisingly has been taking a negative position after he was not made a politburo member and also missed the state CPM state secretary post.

On the crucial Lok Sabha polling date on April 26, the CPM was caught on the back foot after Jayarajan, soon after casting his vote admitted that he and senior BJP leader and Kerala in charge -- Prakash Javadekhar -- had met.

A week before his revelation, the CPM which was accusing the Congress party of being a training school for its leaders to join the BJP was jolted when the BJP candidate at Alappuzha Sobha Surendran said that T.G. Nandakumar (a known power broker who moves between Delhi and Kerala) had met her to discuss the entry of a very senior leader with a status equivalent to CM Vijayan into the BJP. However, she did not name the leader.

Incidentally, Jayarajan's arch-rival, also the sitting Kannur Congress MP and state Congress President K. Sudhakaran, broke the news that the 'tall' leader who is seeking entry to the BJP was Jayarajan.

Soon after Jayarajan admitted that he had met Javadekhar, Vijayan expressed his and the party's displeasure that Jayarajan has this habit of selecting 'friends' and he should have been more cautious.

Jayarajan took part in the party state secretariat meeting held here on Saturday, but he walked out when it became clear that he has to step down.

However, hours before the state committee meeting was to be held, he had said that since he is busy with some urgent work in his home town-Kannur, he will not be taking part in the meeting.

/IANS