LDF rout in Kerala throws up questions over Vijayan, CPM future
With several senior leaders and ministers facing defeat, party faces challenge in picking leader in the Assembly in case Vijayan decides to opt out of LoP race
Pinarayi Vijayan A decade-long stint of the CPI(M) Left Democratic Front in Kerala on Monday culminated in one of the worst electoral setbacks for the party in recent times. The results of the Assembly polls, where the alliance was reduced to 34 seats in the 140-member House, has left the CPI(M) grappling with questions over its leadership in the legislature as well as on Pinarayi Vijayan’s future.
If the LDF had managed to buck the state’s “anti-incumbency” trend for another term, Vijayan would have emerged stronger not only within his party but among the rank and file of the Left, securing another term as the chief minister. The CPI(M) had already announced that he would head the next government in the event of a third consecutive win. Vijayan was the only member of the politburo who had contested the elections.
It has to be seen whether Vijayan, 80, will remain the leader of CPI(M) in the Assembly as the party assumes its role as the Opposition. If Vijayan is not keen to assume as the Leader of the Opposition, the party will have to go for a generational shift by bringing in a younger face to lead the party in the House.
However, the party’s choice is limited. Most of Vijayan’s second-rung leaders, mainly his Cabinet colleagues, were defeated with only three – K N Balagopal, Muhammed Riyas and Saji Cheriyan – winning the polls. While Riyas is Vijayan’s son-in-law, his chances are likely to be eclipsed due to intra-party issues and the BJP’s growth in the state. Adding to the CPI(M)’s woes is the loss of senior leaders like former minister K K Shailaja.
Another factor also contributed to this situation. In the 2021 assembly elections, CPI(M) had denied tickets to all party legislators who had completed two consecutive terms as MLA, suddenly grounding several senior leaders like E P Jayarajan and Thomas Isaac. Now, the defeat of another crop of leaders like P Rajeev and M B Rajesh is likely to present a stiff challenge to the party..
Besides, it would be keen to watch whether the party would blame Vijayan’s style of functioning in the review of the elections and in the party conferences slated to take place next year. After he became the chief minister in 2016, Vijayan hasn’t faced any major criticism over his governance from the party.
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