Analysis | Exit from CPM is personal for Sudhakaran, for party it's about optics than politics

Everything is personal for CPM leader G Sudhakaran. In 2019, when he was the PWD minister, he ranted about a World Bank-funded road project in Kerala, holding the bank officials responsible for lapses. While tearing into the bank representatives, he picked on an official who was the team leader. His comment was racist. The World Bank officials were snubbed. Sudhakaran soon realised he had made a mistake. He apologised, saying he hadn't known the word he used was a racial slur.

His tongue was often acidic, but he also had a heart for apology. When the High Court took the government to task after a 23-year-old youth fell into a pothole and died, Sudhakaran retorted. "What about pending cases in courts? Is it all judges' fault?" No other minister would have dared pose this question to the judiciary. He would later correct himself and say that his words were misinterpreted and he didn't mean to offend the judiciary.

Sudhakaran can't be faulted for believing he deserved an apology from the party for what he took as 'ill-treatment'. He felt nobody bothered to check on him since his demotion to the branch committee; he was excluded from major party events. He genuinely thought someone would share his sentiment that he was no longer in command in Alappuzha and it was unfair. When that didn't happen, he took the extreme step — quit the party and contest independently from Ambalapuzha. When he sat down for an hour-long press meet on Thursday, he held hand-written notes, carefully constructing a clear timeline populated with events and accomplishments. He almost seemed to say, “In case you have forgotten, I have got all recorded here".

Known for his sharp, pointed statements, Sudhakaran chose his words, anticipating what was coming. If anyone doubted his political integrity, Sudhakaran said he was still committed to Communist ideals. Then, he recounted the murder of his younger brother G Bhuvaneshwaran in 1977. Bhuvaneshwaran was allegedly killed on the campus of Pandalam NSS college by KSU activists. Any open allegiance to the Congress would dent the imperious ideological comrade in him.

Hence, Sudhakaran said he didn't want any support from the Congress. If that statement comforted the CPM, soon came the pointer. "I fought the case alone. Nobody knows what my family went through. I had to fell the tree in front of my house to fight the case. Still, we lost. The police were at fault. At that time, LDF was in power, nobody bothered to file an appeal," said Sudhakaran, suggesting he is fresh as ever to take on new battles, all alone. Unlike other leaders like M V Raghavan and K R Gouri Amma, who quit the CPM and formed other parties, Sudhakaran would rather relish a lone battle.

Sudhakaran had won thrice in Ambalapuzha before making way for H Salam in 2021. Between 2006 and 2016, he raked up his majority from 11,829 to 22,621 votes. When Salam could manage a majority of only 11,125 votes, Sudhakaran was blamed. He was made responsible for halving the party's majority. A probe committee was constituted, which also found fault with Sudhakaran. His supporters wondered why the party didn't bother looking at the dip in majority in other constituencies as well.

At 75, he had to step down from the state committee and was confined to the branch committee. He had issues with the consolatory post of being an invitee to the district committee. He had always disliked delayed offers. Sudhakaran had twice said no after he was offered the nomination to the state secretariat. Though he didn't say anything in public, people close to him knew that he wanted those positions much earlier, much before some late entrants to the party had been offered the same.

Party observers said that Sudhakaran still holds clout in Ambalapuzha. The CPM, on the other hand, has been measured in response. Senior leaders spoke with regret; there was no hint of hostility. The lower-rung workers take it as betrayal. CPM would fan the sentiment because they want to create an impression in voters' minds that Sudhakaran is driven by his greed. Minister Saji Cherian, who oversees the party's affairs in Alappuzha district, almost gave a taste of this narrative: a veteran who had contested 7 times, had been a minister twice, and an MLA four times, still loves a seat in the assembly elections.

The Congress has kept Ambalapuzha vacant. There is a murmur of dissent, though. M Liju had polled over 50,000 votes in Ambalapuzha. He has done his groundwork. If Congress fields Liju, it would be a three-corner contest. Split in CPM votes could work to Congress advantage in Ambalapuzha. The deep inroads the BJP made here during the Lok Sabha elections may not repeat in the assembly polls. BJP's vote share is below 18% in Ambalapuzha. Both the Opposition leader V D Satheesan and the KPCC president Sunny Joseph didn't seem in any hurry to declare support for Sudhakaran, an indicator that they are probing multiple options.

For the CPM, Sudhakaran's exit is also about optics. Sudhakaran has had a squeaky-clean image as an MLA and a minister. His tenure as the PWD minister saw a slew of infrastructure projects and ruthless disciplinary actions against the corrupt officials. Having such a leader leave the party in dismay suggests the party has no room for such people.