Thiruvananthapuram, March 25 -- In the run-up to the Kerala assembly polls, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is facing the challenge of having to encounter rebels in four of its key strongholds in the state along with possible anti-incumbency on account of having been in power for the past decade.

Though largely viewed as a party with disciplined cadres who rarely step out of line, this time, four leaders from within the CPI(M)'s ranks, including the one who had a six decades of association with the party, are challenging both the organisation and its leadership on grounds including nepotism, financial misappropriation and loss of idealism. G Sudhakaran in Ambalappuzha, V Kunhikrishnan in Payyanur, TK Govindan in Taliparamba and PK...