The recent drubbing of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala’s Lok Sabha elections is a resounding indictment of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s leadership. The LDF managed to secure only one seat, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made its first significant inroad in the state with Suresh Gopi’s victory in the Thrissur constituency. Allegations abound that the arrest warrant against Gopi and the manufactured controversy over the Thrissur Pooram festival were strategic moves to bolster his chances. Such manoeuvres allegedly came in exchange for delaying proceedings in the case against Vijayan and going easy on cases involving his daughter.
The LDF’s electoral failure is stark, losing in over 110 Assembly constituencies and witnessing Congress triumph even in CPM strongholds like Kannur. This electoral debacle allowed the Congress to achieve its highest number of MPs from Kerala. The CPM’s promise of solving the state’s myriad problems has not materialised; instead, the administration is marred by allegations of corruption, nepotism, and inefficiency. Once the vanguard of the proletariat, the CPM has seemingly lost its ideological moorings and connection with the common people. Nothing illustrates this disconnect better than the ostentatious bus journey undertaken by Vijayan and his ministers. Traversing constituencies in a custom-made luxury bus, equipped with a hydraulic system to elevate the Chief Minister, showcased a glaring detachment from the everyday struggles of the populace. Vijayan’s campaign strategy also backfired, as he focused his attacks more on the Congress than the BJP, inadvertently aiding the latter’s growth by alienating traditional CPM voters who then drifted towards the BJP.
The parallels with the CPM’s decline in West Bengal are evident. In West Bengal, the party is now almost non-existent, and Kerala risks treading the same path unless immediate introspection and corrective measures are undertaken. The CPM must urgently address the internal ills plaguing the party, restoring its commitment to the principles and people it once staunchly represented.
