Thiruvananthapuram: A crucial meeting of the CPM state secretariat began on Wednesday, which will give indications on who would be the next Opposition Leader in Kerala. The main focus of the meeting, which has been convened to conduct a preliminary assessment of the party's biggest defeat in an Assembly election in recent years, would be whether Pinarayi Vijayan, who led the government defeated in an anti-incumbency wave, would take up the post.

The meeting comes as LDF, which had been optimistic about a third term in office, settled for 35 seats when the results were declared on Monday. Meanwhile, the UDF significantly increased its vote share and bagged 102 seats. Additionally, the front also failed to secure even a single seat in the Wayanad, Malappuram, Idukki, Ernakulam, and Kottayam districts.

Even Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had comfortably won from his constituency, Dharmadam, with a majority of over 50,000 votes in the past, was made to sweat this time. He trailed UDF candidate Abdul Rasheed till the 6th round, and Vijayan managed to get a lead only in the 7th round.

In case Pinarayi expresses reluctance, Central Committee member K N Balagopal would be the natural choice to become the Opposition Leader.

Meanwhile, a change in the name of Pinarayi’s official media group from ‘CM media group’ to ‘Opposition media’ sparked speculation that Pinarayi himself would be the Opposition Leader. Despite the name change, the group's profile picture remained a photo of Pinarayi.

Following the election defeat, there is a strong demand within the party to elevate a younger leader to the post of Opposition Leader, rather than handing it to Pinarayi. At the same time, party sources said that Pinarayi’s supporters are exerting pressure on him to take over the position.

Incidentally, Pinarayi is yet to make a public statement despite leading the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to one of its worst defeats. When reporters approached him for a response at the airport on Tuesday, Pinarayi silently walked to his car with a smile and drove away. Pinarayi's social media pages have also been quiet over the past few days.

While there is time until the start of the Assembly session to select an Opposition Leader, the stand taken by Pinarayi in Wednesday’s CPM state secretariat meeting would be watched keenly. If Pinarayi expresses his willingness to become the Opposition Leader, few objections would be raised. However, the CPM would find it difficult to explain why it did not seek a change in leadership, even after a massive defeat that secured only 35 seats.

A discussion at the central level of the CPM would also be needed to decide the state leadership. The state committee is also meeting soon. Similarly, consultations will be carried out in the LDF.

Yet another worry for the party leadership is the possibility of criticism against it during Wednesday’s meeting. Secretariat members such as K K Shailaja, who tasted defeat after being shifted from safe to difficult seats, are a dejected lot.