'I fully believe when Achuthanandan says that he will abide by the party decision and he is sure to keep his word,' said Lawerence.

The feud between the two started when Achuthanandan was denied a ticket to contest elections to the state legislative assembly in 2006. An uproar by party cadres forced the CPI-M to reverse the decision.

Achuthanandan later led the party to victory and became the chief minister, much against the wishes of Vijayan and his loyalists. Since then it has been a cat and mouse game between the two leaders, leaving the state party in virtual shambles.

Things came to a head when Vijayan was named as an accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation in a Rs.374-crore corruption case for awarding tenders for renovation of hydel power stations to a Canadian firm.

Vijayan had signed the deal with the Canadian company SNC Lavalin when he was the state power minister in 1997.

Achuthanandan surprised all in the party when he said that Governor R.S. Gavai had done nothing wrong by giving nod to the CBI to prosecute Vijayan when the party termed it as a 'politically motivated move'.

T. Sivadasa Menon, former finance minister in late Marxist leader E.K. Nayanar's ministry, said that it was for Achuthanandan to decide if he wanted to continue as chief minister after the party leadership removed him from politburo.