CPM leader E P Jayarajan takes swipe at UDF's CM tussle, calls LDF defeat shocking

Senior CPM leader and party's Central Committee member E P Jayarajan on Friday said the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) crushing defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections 2026 was completely unexpected and asserted that the alliance would make a strong comeback.

In a Facebook post, Jayarajan said the Left would introspect and correct any shortcomings that may have emerged during its 10-year rule in the state. “As Comrade E M S had pointed out on several occasions, when functioning as part of a bourgeois democratic process, lapses can occur. If there had been any such shortcomings, the CPI(M) and the Left have the strength to rectify them and move forward,” he wrote.

Praising the tenure of the government led by Pinarayi Vijayan as a model of governance, Jayarajan expressed surprise over the scale of the electoral setback despite what he described as a decade of strong administration.

The LDF was reduced to just 35 seats in the 140-member Assembly in the 2026 assembly polls. The UDF staged a sweeping comeback, securing 102 seats, while the BJP won three.

Jayarajan said electoral failures were not new to the Left, noting that the movement had historically recovered from defeats through introspection and course correction. “The LDF government that came to power in 2016 secured a historic consecutive term. Yet, despite ten years of strong governance, a setback has occurred. Even this reversal can be overcome, and the CPI(M) and the Left possess the strength to move beyond it,” he said.

He also took a swipe at the UDF over the ongoing uncertainty surrounding its Chief Minister pick. “In a manner that mocks the very people who voted for them in good faith, they are locked in a tussle over the Chief Minister’s chair. Despite having 102 MLAs, they are unable to choose a Chief Minister from among themselves, forcing the high command to explore other options,” he wrote, adding that the issue could trigger unrest within the Congress and the UDF.

Jayarajan also criticised the BJP, alleging misuse of influence at the Centre and constitutional offices to gain political advantage in states such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

He said the Left must emerge stronger to counter the politics of the Sangh Parivar. “The Left has the capacity to regain this strength. Across the world, communist and left movements advance through a process of rise, decline and resurgence,” he said.

Warning against the weakening of Left politics in Kerala, Jayarajan said even a slight decline in the Left’s strength could create space for communal forces and threaten the state’s secular traditions and social progress.