Pinarayi Vijayan faces rare censure within CPI(M) after LS polls drub

For the first time since he was elected to power in 2016, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the administration he runs has come under censure of his party, CPI(M), in the backdrop of the Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s severe drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha polls.

A five-day review undertaken by the CPI(M)’s state committee and state secretariat, which came to an end on Thursday, pointed to the dissatisfaction among the public towards the Vijayan-led government and the failure to implement its promises as among the principal reasons for the LDF’s defeat, said sources.

While the LDF vote share in the LS polls came down by nearly 3% this time, it succeeded only in winning one of the 20 seats on offer. Its principal rival UDF too suffered a 2% drop in vote share compared to 2019, but romped home with 18 seats. And what hurt the LDF the most was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) increasing its vote share by 3.6%, making significant inroads in its strongholds, and even winning the party’s first ever LS seat – Thrissur – in the state.

Post-elections, CM Vijayan, who has always held an iron grip over the affairs of the party and the government in the absence of a strong internal challenger, is facing significant pushback within the party. “There was general consensus among members that an anti-incumbency sentiment against the state government contributed to the defeat. The failure of the government in delivering welfare pensions on time, absence of provisions at civil supply stores especially during price rise and the perceived failure of the police to tackle lawlessness and rising crime rates were all seen as reasons,” said a senior party leader who attended the meetings, adding that the police came under the home department which is among the chief minister’s portfolios added to his criticism.

Additionally, the state government carried out a statewide ‘Nava Kerala Sadas’ yatra with the chief minister and his full cabinet in attendance last year to mount criticism against the Centre for its alleged apathy towards the state in financial matters. “But that yatra did not make an imprint on the public and generated needless controversy,” said the CPI(M) leader, who added that Vijayan was present for a part of those review meetings.

The censure is new for the CM who is seen as a disciplinarian within the party and is known to brook no dissent. When a Left-aligned former Christian bishop criticised the government for the coalition’s setback in polls, the chief minister publicly called him an ‘idiot’. And in the Assembly, contrary to the party’s internal assessment, CM Vijayan denied any factor of anti-government sentiment influencing the defeat. “There was a feeling of insecurity among a large section of people against the Modi government. They felt that to oust the Modi government, it would be better to vote for the Congress-led UDF,” he said.

Failed to read people’s minds

CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan, while briefing the press on Thursday after the conclusion of the party’s review of the LS results, admitted that it failed to understand the sentiments of the people. However, he stopped short of criticising the chief minister and holding the government accountable for the loss.

“The results showed that we were unable to win the confidence of the public. Therefore, we will go back to the people and understand their needs. We will clear their misconceptions and work accordingly,” said Govindan at the AKG Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram.

The senior CPI(M) leader claimed a host of factors contributed to the LDF defeat. According to him, they included support of communal outfits like Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI, the BJP making inroads along ‘communal’ lines into caste outfits like SNDP Yogam and certain Christian communities.

“We lost a large section of votes especially among the Ezhava community due to the BJP’s attempts to create communal divide within the SNDP. Through the BDJS headed by Tushar Vellappally, the BJP has made inroads into that community,” Govindan admitted. The OBC Ezhava community is one of the principal vote banks of the Left and the BDJS is an ally of the BJP.

The party, he underlined, has always made corrections after similar defeats and the process will be continued this time as well. After a comprehensive five-day assessment, the state secretariat of the party will prepare a blueprint charting its revival ahead of the local body polls next year and the all-important Assembly polls in 2026.

At the same time, when questioned whether CM Vijayan will be asked to change his ‘style’ of functioning, the CPI(M) leader shot back, “What style should the chief minister change? You have been saying this for a long time. In 2021, our government came back to power with 99 seats for the first time in history. Pinarayi was at the helm even then too. A section of the media has been trying to distort his image among the public.”