It's confirmed now. In a first, former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has decided to skip the CPI(M) party congress beginning at Kozhikode tomorrow. Speculation is now rife that he wants to be relieved of
his membership in the central committee and politburo. 

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has communicated his inability to attend the party congress to CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat. Bhattacharjee has been consistently avoiding vital meetings of the party since CPI(M)'s drubbing in the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala.