Kasaragod CPM secretariat meet: MV Govindan ‘villain’, Manjeshwar candidate K R Jayananda ‘martyr’

Kasaragod: The post-election review meeting of the CPM’s Kasaragod district secretariat reportedly saw sharp criticism of state secretary M V Govindan, with members questioning his combative public posture, the decision to field his wife in Taliparamba, and alleging that the fund misappropriation controversy in Payyannur had politically spilt over into neighbouring Trikaripur, hurting the party there as well.

The Kasaragod secretariat, however, spared Pinarayi Vijayan, who headed the government and came in for equal criticism in other districts. 

According to insiders, the meeting examined how key campaign choices and the party’s public messaging contributed to the setback. The selection of Govindan's wife, P K Shyamala, as the candidate in Taliparamba came in for strong criticism. Some pointed to inadequate consultation with grassroots leadership, which they said triggered resentment within the party base.

The controversy over alleged fund misappropriation in Payyannur also figured prominently, with members stating that the issue hurt the party politically, particularly among young and first-time voters. Criticism was raised that the party’s initial response -- seen as defensive rather than bringing clarity -- deepened public suspicion. Some members felt the controversy may have influenced the defeat in Trikaripur. The CPM lost Trikaripur for the first time.

Certain press conferences addressed by Govindan were also criticised, with leaders reportedly saying the responses to opposition allegations often appeared combative and contributed to a negative perception among neutral voters.

Members reportedly said that several welfare and development initiatives of the state government -- including the LIFE Mission, social welfare pensions, and advances in health and education -- did not translate into effective political messaging on the ground.

Questions were also raised over the defeat of CPM secretariat member K R Jayananda in Manjeshwar, with members asking how nearly 20,000 votes were lost in this election. They said the candidate had effectively been “made a martyr” in the election.

In the run-up to the election, the party took a stance that it would do nothing that could put the IUML candidate A K M Ashraf's chances in jeopardy. Ashraf went on to trounce BJP's K Surendran by 29,252 votes, and CPM's vote share plunged by 12.28 percentage points to 11.29 per cent. He became the only CPM candidate to lose their deposit in Kerala, ever.

The district secretariat has reportedly decided to undertake a detailed organisational review and seek reports from grassroots units to assess the reasons behind the electoral setback.