Kannur (Kerala), June 11 (IANS) The shock defeat suffered by the CPI-M in its traditional strongholds of Taliparamba and Payyannur in the Kerala Assembly polls has now opened a fresh internal battle within the party, with two former hardcore party leaders, now MLAs, launching a direct attack on the leadership of state Secretary M.V. Govindan and former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Taliparamba MLA T.K. Govindan and Payyannur MLA V. Kunhikrishnan, once considered loyal soldiers of the CPI-M organisation, have accused the state leadership of refusing to acknowledge its mistakes and hiding the real reasons behind the Left’s electoral collapse.

Aiming for a third successive term, Vijayan’s men were reduced to a mere 35 seats in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.

The duo’s political journey took a dramatic turn when, dissatisfied with the functioning of the party under the Vijayan-Govindan leadership, they raised objections over what they described as wrong decisions and internal failures.

Their attempts to correct the course, however, ended with them being pushed out of the party.

With the Assembly elections approaching, both leaders decided to contest as independent candidates.

The Congress later extended support to their campaigns, turning what initially appeared to be an internal CPI-M rebellion into a major political challenge for the party.

The results sent shockwaves through the CPI-M.

Taliparamba and Payyannur, long regarded as impregnable party bastions where Left candidates traditionally won with comfortable margins, witnessed stunning victories for the two rebels.

Both T.K. Govindan and Kunhikrishnan not only won but also secured decisive mandates, exposing deep dissatisfaction within sections of the party’s traditional support base.

Speaking at a press conference at the Kannur Press Club on Thursday, the two leaders continued their attack on the party leadership.

T.K. Govindan said M.V. Govindan’s explanation about the reasons for the election defeat did not reflect reality.

He alleged that blaming district committees for the defeat was an attempt to divert attention from the actual failures at the top.

According to him, the district leadership had opposed the candidates imposed by the state leadership in both Taliparamba and Payyannur, but those objections were ignored.

“The responsibility lies with Pinarayi Vijayan and M.V. Govindan. Saying the district committees were responsible is a betrayal,” he said.

He also criticised the party’s election review process, calling it a “correction drama” rather than a genuine exercise involving feedback from party workers.

Kunhikrishnan alleged that the party’s campaign machinery itself worked against him, claiming that posters and campaign materials supporting him were destroyed and that even efforts to open an election office were obstructed.

The twin victories have now become a symbol of the growing internal unease within the CPI-M, with the rebels claiming that their wins were a message from the party’s own grassroots supporters.

For the CPI-M, the Kannur setback has raised uncomfortable questions about whether the party’s traditional base is slipping away and whether the leadership is willing to confront the discontent from within.

–IANS

sg/vd

sg/