EP Jayarajan Photo Credit: S.GOPAKUMAR
Senior CPI (M) leader EP Jayarajan on Friday said the party-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) would overcome its “unexpected” electoral defeat in the Kerala Assembly polls and make a comeback after “correcting its shortcomings”.
In a Facebook post, Mr Jayarajan said the extent of the defeat the LDF suffered in the elections was “totally unexpected”.
“We never expected such a huge setback. Kerala has witnessed exemplary governance during the last 10 years. Yet the setback happened,” he said.
Referring to former Chief Minister EMS Namboodiripad, Mr. Jayarajan said that while functioning under a “bourgeois democracy”, mistakes could be made and the CPI(M) and the Left would correct them.
“Should there be any such lapses, the CPI(M) and the Left have the power to rectify them and move forward. We will make a strong comeback by bringing back sections of people who moved away due to misunderstandings and other reasons,” he said.
Mr. Jayarajan said that the communist movement in Kerala and India progressed not only through continuous victories but through analyzing failures and making corrections.
Recalling the political history, he said the Namboodiripad government in 1957 had introduced several welfare measures but they were rejected due to what he called misuse of constitutional provisions and subversion of democracy.
Mr. Jayarajan said the LDF government, which came to power in 2016, secured a consecutive term in 2021, but despite what he described as excellent governance in the last decade, suffered a setback in the last election.
“The CPI(M) and the Left also have the strength to overcome this setback,” he said.
He slammed the UDF on CM selection talks
At the same time, Mr. Jayarajan criticized the Congress-led UDF for the ongoing discussions on the selection of the next chief minister.
“Look at the other side. They are fighting for the chief minister’s seat in a way that insults the people who voted for them. Even with 102 MLAs (UDF total) they are unable to pick a chief minister from among themselves and they are looking towards the high command,” he said.
He claimed that the development would soon cause an explosion in the Congress and the UDF.
Mr. Jayarajan also expressed concern over what he termed “fascist-style democratic murder” being carried out by the Sangh Parivar in national politics.
Alleging that the BJP came to power in West Bengal after “excluding 95 lakh voters”, he alleged that attempts were also made to play political games in Tamil Nadu through the Governor.
“The left must become stronger to resist these fascist tendencies that are trying to destroy democracy and secularism,” he said.
He warned that even a slight weakening of the Left in Kerala would provide room for the growth of “communal forces” and threaten the state’s secular traditions and social progress.
“These are the realities before us and the CPI(M) and the Left will take activities in the coming days keeping all this in mind,” he added.
Published – 08 May 2026 15:17 IST
