Analysis | Leaders air ambition & dissent in public, trouble for LDF ahead of polls

Kozhikode: A wave of internal turbulence is rippling through the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which prepares to seek an unprecedented third consecutive term in the upcoming Assembly election. Across several districts—from the traditional Left stronghold of Kannur to Kollam—ideological differences, local factional rivalries and personal ego clashes among grassroots leaders have begun escalating unexpectedly.

Political observers say the developments also reflect a deeper organisational shift within the Left parties. According to analysts, the CPM and CPI are gradually losing some of their traditional character as tightly disciplined cadre-based organisations, with internal differences increasingly becoming individual-centric rather than ideology-driven.

The growing perception that electoral success and access to power have begun to overshadow ideological debates has intensified competition among local leaders to align themselves with power centres within the party.

Earlier, differences among senior leaders were largely settled within party forums. Now, the friction has surfaced more openly, with several influential local leaders turning rebels. Such open displays of disagreement, relatively uncommon in the usually disciplined ranks of the CPM and CPI, have increasingly spilled into the public domain, exposing deeper organisational strains at the grassroots.

When senior CPM leader Sudhakaran openly announced his willingness to contest again from Ambalappuzha on Thursday, it was only the latest in a series of developments reflecting friction over ideological commitments, candidate selection and generational shifts within the party.

The first of such internal controversies during this election season had surfaced in Kannur, even before the LDF had fully recovered from the backlash in the recent local body elections. CPM leader in Payyannur, V Kunhikrishnan, had raised allegations of misappropriation of the martyrdom fund against the leadership of the district committee, bringing internal tensions within the party in the district into the open. Although the party leadership moved quickly to defend itself against the allegations, the rift appears particularly visible in the Payyannur region.

With Kunhikrishnan reportedly preparing to contest in Payyannur, his rebel move, especially given his clean image among party cadres, could potentially affect the LDF's prospects in what has traditionally been considered one of its strongholds.

In Palakkad, senior party leader P K Shashi recently left the party and joined a platform formed by a group of rebels who had earlier walked out of the organisation. He was subsequently expelled after attending a convention organised by the rebel group. The development is understood to have stemmed from differences of opinion with district secretary E N Suresh Babu.

Despite having faced various allegations in the past, Shashi had remained one of the more influential leaders of the party in the Mannarkad region, and his rebel move is likely to make the electoral contest in the area more challenging for the LDF.

Once hailed as the CPM's "giant killer" after her electoral victory in the Kottarakkara Assembly constituency, Aisha Potty recently joined the Congress following differences with the local leadership of the party. Potty, who had earlier been removed from the Kottarakkara area committee and later from the district committee, had stayed away from party programmes for some time.

The CPM had initially banked on her to end the three-decade-long winning streak of UDF leader R Balakrishna Pillai in Kottarakkara in 2006. In the following two terms, she not only retained the seat but also increased her majority, effectively consolidating Kottarakkara as a stronghold for the CPM. The UDF now believes that Potty could have a strong chance in the constituency if she is fielded as its candidate in the upcoming election.

Similarly, three-time MLA and senior CPM leader from Idukki, S Rajendran, recently joined the BJP following strained relations with the district leadership of the party. Rajendran has considerable influence among workers in the plantation sector, and his shift is expected to have implications for the electoral prospects of the Left parties in certain pockets of Idukki.

Meanwhile, the decision of A Suresh, former private secretary to V S Achuthanandan, to contest from Malampuzha with the support of the UDF, and popular left commentator B N Haskar's decision to part ways with the CPM and join the RSP, are being viewed more as outcomes of ideological differences than merely personal disputes.

Unlike in previous elections, the CPI is also facing internal tensions at the local level this time. The party recently expelled C C Mukundan, the sitting MLA from Nattika, following serious allegations against party leader and former MLA Geetha Gopi. Mukundan had claimed that Gopi secured the party ticket for the Assembly election through financial influence, describing the seat as a "payment seat." He has since announced that he will contest from Nattika, although the UDF has yet to decide whether it will extend support to him.

The decision to field Geetha Gopi is believed to be linked to internal alignments within the CPI's district committee in Thrissur, where factional dynamics are said to have played a role in candidate selection. Former Vaikom MLA and senior CPI leader K Ajith also recently joined the BJP following differences with the party leadership. Ajith had represented the communist party from Vaikom for two consecutive terms from 2006 to 2016. In Nadapuram as well, sections of the CPI's local leadership have come out against the candidature of P Vasantham, the wife of party leader and former MLA Sathyan Mokeri.

Other constituents of LDF, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are also facing the internal issues, delaying the decision of their candidates in the constituencies like Elathur and Vatakara.

"The Left parties have increasingly become election-oriented machines, with the primary focus on winning polls rather than preserving ideological clarity. The line between the party and the government is also gradually fading, and many leaders have become power-centric," Political analyst J Prabhash said.

"At the local level, leaders tend to compete with one another to be part of the power centres. As a result, a section of leaders remains dissatisfied when they are unable to rise within the party structure because they are not aligned with those in power," he noted.

Prabhash also cautioned that such local-level tensions could influence electoral outcomes. "The sentiments of committed cadres who deeply care about the party may quietly manifest in attempts to correct the leadership. This may eventually be reflected in the vote share," he said.

Political observer A Jayashankar has voiced concerns about the recent developments within the Communist parties in Kerala, drawing parallels with the decline of the Left in West Bengal.

According to him a similar transformation is now visible in Kerala, where the party structure is increasingly revolving around a few influential individuals rather than a collective system guided by ideology. As a result, the party, he said, is losing its broader popular base as well as the "Left morality" that once defined it. "This situation is creating confusion within the party and weakening ideological clarity. Leaders who try to uphold ideological principles, such as Suresh Kurup, often struggle to maintain their influence on party platforms," Jayashankar added.

With the growing number of rebellions, defections and public disagreements within the front, LDF is heading into the election amid unusual internal strain. While the leadership hopes to contain these rifts and maintain unity, the developments could test the coalition's organisational strength and influence its electoral prospects in several key constituencies across the state.