CPI(M) leadership ignoring real reasons behind poll debacle, allege Govindan and Kunhikrishnan

Former CPI(M) leaders and Independent MLAs T.K. Govindan and V. Kunhikrishnan on Thursday accused the CPI(M) State leadership of ignoring the real reasons behind the party’s defeat in the recent Assembly elections and shifting the blame to lower-level committees.

Speaking at the Kannur Press Club, they alleged that the State committee’s review report had failed to reflect discussions held across party units after the elections. Mr. Govindan said cadres had attributed the defeat to the leadership’s anti-democratic functioning, erosion of inner-party democracy, controversial candidate selection, and positions that alienated secular-minded supporters, but these concerns were omitted from the review.

He questioned the decision to hold district committees responsible for the defeat in Payyannur and Taliparamba, claiming that local and district committees had strongly opposed the candidates who were eventually fielded. Of the 27 candidates fielded by the party, 24 were defeated, and many of them lacked the approval of district, area, or local committees, he said.

“The candidates were selected despite widespread resistance within the party,” Mr. Govindan alleged. He said the leadership was unwilling to accept responsibility while portraying lower-level committees as solely accountable for the defeat. He maintained that district committees had conveyed their objections, and that State leaders, including M.V. Govindan, were aware of the opposition.

Mr. Govindan further claimed that controversies related to university appointments and other administrative decisions had created to doubts among voters. He also alleged that criticism of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s functioning, widely discussed within the party, was not mentioned in the review report.

Mr. Kunhikrishnan accused the leadership of disregarding inner-party democracy and ignoring objections raised by party units during candidate selections.

On Payyannur, he said the LDF lost more than 25,000 votes compared with the 2021 election, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction among traditional CPI(M) supporters. He argued that the setback represented a broader rejection of the party leadership’s political direction.