Archive · 15 Sep 2026
Kerala CPI(M) Meet Puts Pinarayi Vijayan Era Under Fire
The CPI(M) in Kerala is meeting to understand why it suffered a very large election defeat.
Many delegates said the party’s report blamed ordinary workers and local committees too much.
They argued that senior leaders made the important decisions and should accept responsibility.
Pinarayi Vijayan and M.V. Govindan therefore came under strong pressure.
Delegates also questioned decisions about candidates and constituencies, including Taliparamba, K.K. Shailaja and A.N. Shamseer.
They said the party has lost votes, active members and support from mass organizations.
They also complained that leaders were not communicating well with the public.
Some delegates wanted the party to protect Vijayan and P.A. Mohammed Riyas during Enforcement Directorate investigations.
The meeting was expected to end with M.V. Govindan’s response and a public rally in Kozhikode.
Delegates at the CPI(M)’s extended state committee meeting sharply criticized Pinarayi Vijayan’s leadership style and M.V. Govindan’s handling of the party organization.
Kannur and Kollam representatives rejected the draft report’s emphasis on grassroots failures, arguing that senior leaders controlled crucial decisions.
Delegates questioned candidate and constituency decisions involving Taliparamba, K.K. Shailaja and A.N. Shamseer, as well as the campaign claim that there was no alternative to the LDF.
They cited vote-share erosion, declining active membership, weaker mass-organization support, poor public engagement and repeated defeats since 2021.
Kasaragod delegates demanded accountability from those responsible, while Kozhikode representatives urged protection for Vijayan and P.A. Mohammed Riyas in Enforcement Directorate investigations.
- Who
- CPI(M) delegates from Kannur, Kollam, Kozhikode and Kasaragod, along with Pinarayi Vijayan and State Secretary M.V. Govindan.
- What
- An extended state committee meeting reviewed the CPI(M)-led Left’s severe Assembly election defeat and debated leadership accountability and organizational failures.
- When
- During the three-day meeting, with the concluding session and Govindan’s response scheduled for Tuesday.
- Where
- Kozhikode, Kerala.
- Why
- Delegates said the party’s draft report shifted blame to grassroots workers while overlooking senior leadership decisions, candidate controversies, vote erosion and repeated electoral warnings.
Delegates Seeking Accountability
Leadership Continuity and Defense
Responsibility for the defeat
Delegates Seeking Accountability
Delegates argued that senior leaders controlled key decisions and that the draft report unfairly shifted blame to ordinary workers and lower-level committees.
Leadership Continuity and Defense
The draft report emphasized organizational failures at lower levels and proposed self-correction by party workers and cadres.
Nature of the crisis
Delegates Seeking Accountability
Critics described the immediate problem as internal, citing leadership failures, personality-centered politics, parliamentary ambitions and ignored electoral warnings.
Leadership Continuity and Defense
The report highlighted investigations by central agencies and the Enforcement Directorate involving Vijayan and his family as a major challenge for the party.
Leadership’s future
Delegates Seeking Accountability
Some delegates demanded that Vijayan, Govindan and other senior decision-makers accept accountability for the severe defeat.
Leadership Continuity and Defense
Despite the criticism, the meeting showed little indication of an immediate leadership change, while Kozhikode representatives called for protection for Vijayan and P.A. Mohammed Riyas.
Election and candidate decisions
Delegates Seeking Accountability
Delegates questioned the omission of the Taliparamba setback and raised concerns about K.K. Shailaja’s constituency shift and the handling of A.N. Shamseer’s candidature.
Leadership Continuity and Defense
The report addressed candidate-selection lapses and the Payyannur defeat, but gave less attention to the Taliparamba issue.
- Party
- Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M)
- Meeting
- Three-day extended state committee meeting in Kozhikode
- Report under discussion
- A draft rectification and election review report presented by M.V. Govindan
- Leaders criticized
- Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and State Secretary M.V. Govindan
- Organizational concerns
- Vote-share erosion, declining active membership, weaker mass-organization support and poor public engagement
- Disputed issues
- The Taliparamba setback, K.K. Shailaja’s constituency shift and A.N. Shamseer’s candidature
- Closing event
- A public rally in Kozhikode, which the party said could draw more than one lakh people
