Pinarayi accuses Taliparamba MLA of ‘betrayal’

Leader of Opposition in Keralam Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday (August 31, 2026) accused former Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader and Independent MLA TK Govindan of betraying the CPI(M) and contributing to its defeat in the recent Taliparamba assembly elections in the assembly constituency.

Mr. Vijayan was addressing a rally organized by the CPI(M) in Taliparamba to explain the party’s stand after the defeat in the constituency.

Mr TK Govindan left the party following disagreements over the decision to field the wife of CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan and CPI(M) leader PK Shyamala as the party’s candidate in Taliparamba.

He later contested as an independent candidate with the support of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and won in the constituency, which is considered a CPI(M) stronghold.

Mr. Vijayan said the vote share of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) had fallen by more than 11% compared to the previous elections, leading to its defeat. “The reason for our defeat is that we lost more than 11% of the votes compared to what we got in 2021. That is what led to the defeat,” he said.

Mr. Vijayan said the candidature of Mr. TK Govindan, whom he accused of taking a stand that amounted to betraying the party, had led to some votes shifting away from the LDF.

“The opponent who contested here was TK Govindan, who became a candidate by taking the stand of betraying the party. When TK Govindan came as a candidate, it is seen that several votes were lost from the LDF after this candidature,” he said.

He said it was unfortunate that some people who had supported the CPI(M) at various stages had taken a different stand in the elections. “The fact that many people who stood by the CPI(M) at all stages thought differently at this stage was something that should not have happened. Only if a mistake is recognized as a mistake, it can be rectified. Those who have taken such a stand should do proper introspection on the matter,” Mr Vijayan said.

Govindan’s reaction

In the meeting, Mr. TK Govindan alleged that the CPI(M) leadership was destroying the party in pursuit of its vested interests. “The leadership is destroying this party for your own selfish interests. For you, the party is not what matters most, your other side businesses are important to you. They need to be protected. That is why you are destroying the party,” he said.

Mr. TK Govindan questioned whether the party leadership was impartially probing the reasons for the decline in the CPI(M). “However, are you impartially investigating why the party has reached such a state? If you attack V. Kunhikrishnan (Payyannur MLA) and me, will this party be saved?” he asked.

Referring to the killing of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader TP Chandrasekharan, who was allegedly hacked to death by a CPI(M) activist in 2012, Mr TK Govindan questioned whether his removal had strengthened the party. Chandrasekharan was a CPI(M) leader who formed the RMP after he left the party.

Published – 01 Sep 2026 0:51 IST