Thiruvananthapuram, 14 May (H.S.):The CPM state committee meeting will continue on Thursday amid mounting criticism against the party’s state leadership following the Left Democratic Front’s heavy defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections. Senior leaders who spoke at the meeting on Wednesday called for a thorough introspection and sweeping organisational changes, saying the party must learn serious lessons from the electoral setback.

Leaders participating in the discussions said the defeat reflected the consequences of continuing with explanations and political arguments that failed to connect with the people. They stressed that the need for correction was not limited to any one leader or policy, but extended across all levels of the party organisation.

According to sources, several members openly criticised the state leadership for failing to address internal organisational issues and for not recognising the public mood in time. The discussions were held on the basis of a report presented by the CPM state secretariat on the election defeat, with all committee members being given an opportunity to express their views.

While the report reportedly maintained that there was no major anti-incumbency sentiment against the government, leaders questioned why voters still turned against the party and demanded a deeper examination of the reasons behind the defeat. They said the leadership must introspect whether it had effectively intervened to resolve emerging political and organisational issues during the campaign period.

Several leaders also pointed to organisational weaknesses as a major factor behind the setback, saying the party had failed to understand public sentiment. Internal disputes and controversies, they said, provided the Opposition UDF with significant campaign material during the elections.

The candidature controversy in Taliparamba was specifically cited as an issue that was widely used by the UDF across the state during the campaign. Some members also criticised State Secretary M.V. Govindan, saying many of his public explanations failed to resonate with ordinary voters.

Criticism was also directed at CPI, with some members accusing the ally of publicly pressuring the Left front through avoidable political confrontations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman