Thrissur (Kerala) | The CPI on Tuesday expelled sitting MLA C C Mukundan from the party's primary membership, accusing him of serious anti-party activities, in a development that has added to the turbulence over candidate selection ahead of the Assembly elections.

The disciplinary action comes a day after Mukundan openly said he would contest the election as an independent after reports emerged that the party was considering former MLA Geetha Gopi as its candidate from Nattika.

Nattika, a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency, has long been considered a stronghold of the CPI.

In a statement, the CPI's Nattika constituency committee said Mukundan had repeatedly violated party discipline and engaged in activities against the party despite several warnings.

The party said it had taken disciplinary action against him earlier in an attempt to correct his conduct.

As part of those measures, Mukundan was removed from the district executive during the last party conference period and was functioning only as a member of the Nattika constituency committee.

The CPI said matters escalated after its state executive took a decision on the party's candidate for the Nattika seat in the upcoming Assembly election.

Following this, Mukundan allegedly made "serious and baseless allegations" against the party in public and declared that he would contest the election as an independent candidate, it said.

The party also alleged that he had contacted leaders of the Congress party and indicated that he might contest with support from the UDF.

Mukundan, who enjoys a reputation for a clean public image in the constituency, had on Monday told reporters that internal factionalism and other factors led to his denial of a party ticket.

He had also said that he was in contact with leaders of the opposition United Democratic Front and would soon decide on his political future.