Thiruvananthapuram, May 5 (IANS) The fall from power, when it comes, is often measured not just in numbers but in moments. For Pinarayi Vijayan, Tuesday was one such moment, quiet, restrained, and heavy with the weight of a decade that has abruptly drawn to a close.

After ten years at the helm, marked by the full paraphernalia and security accorded to a Chief Minister, Vijayan cut a markedly different figure on his return to Thiruvananthapuram.

The emphatic verdict delivered a day earlier had left the Left Front with just 35 seats, a stunning reversal for a coalition that had nursed hopes of a historic third term.

The Congress-led UDF surged to 102, while the BJP opened its account with three seats, sealing what is widely seen as the sharpest electoral setback faced by any incumbent Chief Minister in Kerala.

The resignation, sent quietly through a messenger to Governor Rajendra V. Arlekar on Monday night, was in keeping with the understated manner that has since defined Vijayan’s public demeanour.

Asked to continue as caretaker until a new government assumes office, he has, so far, chosen silence over statement.

That silence was most visible at the airports.

At the entrance of the Kannur airport, it was a grim-faced Vijayan who acknowledged the police officials who received him but steered clear of the waiting media.

The contrast was stark.

For a decade, his arrivals were marked by elaborate security arrangements and long convoys, but this time it was all missing.

At Thiruvananthapuram, he was received by a handful of party colleagues, including Rajya Sabha member A.A. Rahim and V. Sivankutty, himself among those defeated.

Absent were the crowds, the slogans, and the visible assertion of authority that had long accompanied Vijayan’s public movements.

There were no remarks to the media despite repeated calls for a response.

Accompanied by his wife and daughter, he quietly entered the vehicle of his party secretary and drove away, offering no immediate reflection on a verdict that has reshaped Kerala’s political landscape.

This time, there was only a lone pilot vehicle of the Kerala Police escorting him, an image that seemed to mirror the sudden contraction of political power.

In the coming days, Vijayan is expected to vacate Cliff House, the official residence that has been his home through two consecutive terms.

The physical act of leaving that space will, in many ways, symbolise the end of an era, one defined by centralised authority, administrative continuity and ultimately, an electoral reckoning.

For now, the silence endures, perhaps the most telling response from a leader who, until recently, stood at the centre of Kerala’s political stage.

–IANS

sg/rad