AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Tuesday said the CPM should “learn at least now” from the UDF’s victory in the Kerala Assembly elections on May 4, accusing the party of serious missteps over the past decade. “They have done everything that shouldn’t be done in a political party in the last 10 years. What a government shouldn’t do is what they did over the past decade. The party should realise that its trajectory was wrong and rectify its mistakes,” he said while addressing the media.

Venugopal added that the election results delivered a strong rejection of communal politics. “The biggest message is that forces that tried to create communalism were slammed down. Sudheer Shah’s win in Vamanapuram is an example. Terrible comments were made against him, but people ensured his victory. Hindu brothers made a Muslim candidate win, and Muslim brothers made a Hindu candidate win. Joy in Thavanur was also made to win by the people of Malappuram. This shows the goodness of the people of Kerala,” he said.

He further noted that people in Kerala would not support attempts to create communal divisions, adding that voters are experienced enough to see through such efforts.

Responding to questions on the chief ministerial choice, Venugopal said the Congress high command would take a decision soon, following established procedures. “There are certain procedures for this. Just because people put up banners in my name or in the name of some other leader doesn’t mean that will be considered. This is not the first time the Congress is choosing a candidate. The procedures will be followed,” he added.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Sunny Joseph said that when V Kunhikrishnan raised an issue against the CPM in Payyannur, the party turned against him. “This reflects the same mentality with which they addressed every issue throughout the ten years they governed Kerala. The CPM bypassed individuals with merit and chose to stand by the perpetrator. They took a similar stance in the Sabarimala gold theft case, where they protected the accused both as a party and as a government. Those who were initially denied bail were later granted bail after government intervention. They crucified true Marxists,” he said. “The people have delivered their verdict against the Chief Minister of Kerala,” he added.

The UDF had a sweeping victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, winning 102 seats and handing the LDF a major defeat. This marks the UDF’s biggest win since 1977, when it had secured 111 seats in the post-Emergency polls. The LDF, which had won 99 seats in 2021, saw its tally drop sharply to just 35 seats. The UDF dominated districts such as Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Wayanad and Malappuram, leaving the LDF without a single seat in these regions. Several sitting MLAs and ministers faced strong anti-incumbency, with 13 ministers losing their seats.

Except for districts like Thrissur and Kannur, the LDF was largely swept aside by the UDF wave. The trend was evident from the beginning, with the UDF taking a comfortable lead during the counting of postal ballots. The Congress-led alliance then went on to consolidate its lead across constituencies.