Why Kerala CPI(M) faces challenges amid organizational polls

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and top CPI(M) leaders are facing criticism over the government’s performance as the party holds multi-stage organizational elections in the state. Many of those attending the conclaves in which new officials are elected at the district level have made scathing comments about apparent failures in the management of the Home department, which Vijayan himself controls, as well as finance (KN Balagopal) and health ( Veena George ) departments. They have also spoken out against CPI(M) State Secretary MV Govindan Master for his “failure” to revitalize the party.

Many of the grievances raised by mid-level leaders at district meetings were about government operations and the perceived inaccessibility of senior CPI(M) leaders. Sources said Vijayan overheard them.

For the prime minister, the next year and a half will be a challenge as he leads the party towards the assembly elections in 2026. Before that, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) will face elections for local self-government bodies in December. .

Vijayan led the CPI(M) to glory in the state by securing a second consecutive term in power in 2021. Since the local body elections in 2015, both the CPI(M) and the LDF have improved their vote share , with the exception of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 and 2024, which were swept by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). This year, the BJP scored a first victory against Thrissur and is set to bag some seats in the 2026 state elections.

In the 2016 assembly elections, the victorious LDF secured a vote share of 43.48 per cent and won 91 of the 140 assembly seats. The UDF won 47 seats. The BJP won the Nemom seat and a total vote share of 10.5 per cent. In 2021, the LDF shook the political scene with 99 seats and 45.33 percent votes.

But now, the ongoing organizational elections for district committees have seen criticism emerge from the ranks due to the perception that both the party and its government are faltering.

“There is resentment among the cadres. They wanted an effective government and a transparent party order. They are using the party polls as a platform to air their grievances. If the party ignores it, it will be endemic,” Dr J. Prabhash, former vice chancellor of Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram, told INDIA TODAY.

Prabhash, who has been a left-wing thinker all his life, feels that the “privileged” are taking control of the party. “Previously there was a uniform criterion for becoming a party member, which was followed by different levels of leadership. Now, some are being fast-tracked to leadership positions, while others are ignored despite having been members for a long time. The preferential mode of elevation had affected the quality of leadership,” he said.

The CPI(M) has a five-tier organizational structure in the state: the branch committee at the bottom, above it the local committee, then the area committee, the district committee and finally the state committee at the top. The party has concluded district meetings in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Malappuram, Kottayam and Wayanad. It’s a work in progress in the other districts. It will all lead up to a state-level meeting in Kollam from March 6-9, followed by the party Congress from April 2-6.

The complainant leaders and cadres are also worried about the rise of the BJP in Kerala and the failure of the CPI(M) to counter it. They fear that Kerala could go the way of Tripura if the BJP monopolizes the Christian vote and consolidates the hitherto dispersed Hindu majority. The responsibility to prove otherwise falls on the leaders.

Subscribe to India Today magazine