Thiruvananthapuram, 06 May (H.S.):

CPI-M Kerala state secretary ,M. V. Govindan on Wednesday admitted that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had suffered an unexpected setback in the Kerala Assembly elections and said the party would undertake a detailed and comprehensive review of the defeat by consulting party workers, allies and the public.

Addressing the media after a meeting of the CPI(M) state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, Govindan said the party had carried out only a preliminary assessment of the election results and that a broader organisational review would begin in the coming weeks. However, he declined to respond to questions from journalists.

According to Govindan, the initial assessment indicates that several factors contributed to the LDF’s defeat, including shortcomings in organisational functioning, political issues within the party structure, and weaknesses in campaign activities at various levels during the election.

He said the CPI(M) leadership would listen carefully to party cadres, component units of the party, coalition partners and the people before arriving at conclusions regarding the electoral setback. “The party will examine the defeat in a democratic and transparent manner by taking everyone into confidence,” he said.

Govindan noted that the LDF secured 37.6 per cent of the vote in the election, which he described as comparatively low. At the same time, he pointed out that the Left front had faced similar setbacks in previous elections, including the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it secured 35.1 per cent votes and the 2024 parliamentary elections when its vote share dropped to 33.35 per cent.

He said the Left had historically bounced back from defeats by learning lessons from public verdicts and implementing corrective measures that restored people’s confidence. “The LDF has overcome setbacks earlier and will do so again,” he asserted.

As part of the review process, meetings of all party units will be convened during May and June. State secretariat members will participate in district-level discussions, while district committee meetings will be held over two days in every district. State committee members will attend area committee meetings, and local and branch-level meetings will also be organised with the participation of district and area leaders.

Govindan alleged that the party had faced a massive propaganda campaign during the elections but maintained that the CPI(M) and the LDF would return stronger after implementing necessary corrections. He added that while Kerala traditionally witnesses a change of government every five years, the LDF had broken that pattern earlier and remained capable of returning to power again in the future.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman