Former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday was elected as the CPI(M) legislature party leader, sources said.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the CPI(M) state committee held here, according to a statement.
The meeting was attended by CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby and senior leaders A Vijayaraghavan and Pinarayi Vijayan, and was presided over by K Radhakrishnan, it said.
After being elected as the CPI(M) legislature party leader, Vijayan is likely to be chosen as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.
Vijayan, a two-time CM, lost power after the LDF was defeated in the recent state Assembly elections.
The LDF currently holds just 35 of the 140 seats in the Assembly.
On the other hand, the Congress-led UDF is set to form the government after winning 102 seats.
Former Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan has been selected by the Congress high command as the CM of Kerala.
