THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Terming the Lok Sabha election results in Kerala as “disappointing”, the CPM national leadership has asked its counterpart in the state to hold “self-critical” examination of the severe drubbing the party received in the hustings.
The election results in Kerala were “disappointing for the party and the left where they were expected to win more seats. There has to be a self -critical examination to ascertain the reasons and identify the shortcomings,” the CPM central committee’s official organ, People’s Democracy, said in an editorial.
The CPM state secretariat is meeting on Friday to have a preliminary evaluation of the election results. For a detailed review, it will again meet on June 16 and 17, and the state committee from June 18 to 20.
“The issue with the LDF government now is that the administration has become bureaucratic,” a former CC member told TNIE. “Earlier the administrative system of all the LDF governments had a political character. If the government shows or deviates to bureaucratic nature, the party would interfere. That process was there till the VS (Achuthanandan) government. It has ended now,” he said.
Meanwhile, CPM leadership is facing unprecedented criticism about the huge margin of loss the party candidates suffered, and the increase in the vote share of Congress and BJP in party citadels. There is also criticism against selection of candidates in more than five seats.
CC member K K Shailaja, who lost from Vadakara, said the people of Kerala see UDF as the alternative to the BJP. K J Shine, who was the candidate in Ernakulam, also called upon the CPM to evaluate the reasons behind the big loss.
CPM Kannur district secretary and Kannur candidate MV Jayarajan admitted that BJP’s vote share has increased in the party strongholds.