CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan during a press briefing at the AKG Center in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday after the party’s defeat in the assembly elections. | Photo credit: Nirmal Harindran
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) in Kerala, reeling from one of the biggest defeats in its electoral history, has decided to hold meetings at all levels to allow party members to express their criticism and views “fearlessly”.
After the party’s state secretariat meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan told reporters at the AKG center that the state leadership would prepare its election review and take corrective measures to regain the trust of the people.
The decision to give party members up to the branch committee level a platform to express their views comes in the wake of the party’s crushing defeats in some of its strongholds in Kannur as well. The victory of the rebel CPI(M) in some of these constituencies, due to the likely erosion of the party’s own electoral base, indicated some level of discontent at the local level.
Mr Govindan said the state secretariat, which met on Tuesday, had only made a preliminary assessment of the causes of the defeat, leaving a detailed analysis to be done at all levels of the party.
Organizational, political issues
“The party understands that there were organizational and political problems as well as various kinds of negative propaganda against the party which contributed to the defeat. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) vote share of 37.6% in this assembly election is quite low. However, the LDF could only secure 35.1% in the 2019 elections. history of learning from such failures and taking corrective steps to return to scene We will honestly assess this defeat at the party levels,” he said.
Negotiations from the party branch to the state level will be held in the months of May and June. The district committee meetings will be attended by the member of the state secretariat while the area committee meetings will be attended by the state committee members. Local committees will be convened with the participation of members of the district committee, members of the regional committee will be present at the meetings of the branch committees. “All comrades at all levels will have an opportunity to raise issues freely and fearlessly. The party’s election overview will be prepared based on discussions at these meetings instead of the state secretariat preparing an opinion and handing it over to the lower levels. All issues will be analyzed with precision and remedial action taken,” said Mr. Govindan.
He alleged that transfers were being made in several departments even before the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government was sworn in. “On the basis of letters from service organization leaders, transfers are being issued. During the LDF government, transfers were made only as per set norms. Such tendencies will be strongly opposed,” he said.
At a relatively brief press conference, Mr. Govindan did not answer many questions, although questions were raised about the Leader of the Opposition, criticism of the party leadership and outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s silence after the election verdict.
Published – 06 May 2026 20:27 IST
