The high-power committees of the CPI(M) will hold a five-day“chintan baithak” at Thiruvananthapuram from Sunday to take stock of the post-Lok Sabha election situation.
The CPI(M), described as the world’s largest Marxist organisation, lost 13 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats it contested in Kerala despite the claim by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and party State secretary MV Govindan that it would make a clean sweep in all the seats.
The meetings have been convened as a follow up to the Chief Minister’s statement in Assembly that despite the good works done by the Government, the party machinery failed to disseminate the information to people.
Sitaram Yechury, the general secretary of the CPI(M), has reached Kerala and it is widely expected that he would crack the whip in association with Govindan on those who did not work for the success of the party.
It is an open secret in Kerala that Yechury and Vijayan do not see eye to eye on any issues. “Yechury will not hesitate to openly tell Chief Minister Vijayan to move over in favour of the youth leaders like Industries Minister P Rajeeve or Finance Minister KN Balagopal if it is found that a leadership change is the only option to save the party,” said a senior CPI(M) leader.
Vijayan in his post-poll analysis has said the Congress won the maximum seats in the election because of the cadre’s trust in Rahul Gandhi.
“It is another thing that the Congress could not cross themagic figure of 273 seats in the Lok Sabha. But the death knell of the BJP rulehas been sounded and it is a matter of time before we bury the Hindutva partyonce and for ever. The CPI(M) has erred prior to the polls and the meetings to beheld next week is a prelude to cleansing of the party structure,” saidGovindan. He also agreed that both leaders and cadres have made mistakes andthe party’s State Secretariat and State Committee would analyse the same.“Our top priority is to find out the mistakes and to rectifythe same. If the party is of the view that a change in leadership is the needof the hour, we will not hesitate to resort to that also,” said Govindan whileaddressing the EMS Memorial Day at Perinthalmanna. The upcoming local bodyelection and the 2026 Assembly election are matters of urgent concern for theCPI(M). Despite the party losing all seats except one it contested in the 2019Lok Sabha polls, Vijayan led the CPI(M) back to power in the 2021 Assemblypolls.What has upset the party rank and file is Vijayan’scapitulation to a particular minority community and his obsession with his newson-in-law Mohammed Riyaz.