THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The leadership has a collective responsibility for the Left defeat in the assembly election, said CPM general secretary M A Baby. Responding to questions during the media briefing after the politburo meet on Monday, Baby refused to put the onus on Pinarayi alone.
“Pinarayi is the senior-most leader of the party, in terms of age and experience. He was assigned by the party to lead the campaign,” Baby said.
The two-day politburo meeting that concluded on Monday, analysed the poll results in five states and concluded that detailed analysis at the ground level is required. Terming the verdict unexpected, Baby said an in-depth analysis is required to find out the reasons that led to the defeat. “The party would consider opinions from all cadres and well wishers before initiating necessary corrections,” he told the media.
“After a 10-year rule, the Left front faced a major setback. That the BJP won three seats poses a major challenge. The Congress’ soft approach to Hindutva and the party raising unfounded allegations against CPM have led to BJP’s growth in the state,” Baby said.
The CPM state committee will meet in the coming days to look into the reasons for the defeat and submit reports before the central leadership. The central committee meet that will be held later this month will look into reports from state units.
Sources said the politburo looked into all aspects of the defeat, including certain campaigns from within the Left including from the CPI over PM Shri. “The people made up their mind to vote out the Left due to many reasons. The 10-year-rule, sentiments among certain sections, the impression given by the CPI and a couple of other factors too contributed to the poll verdict,” observed the politburo.