THRISSUR: The report of the KPCC one man commission, dispatched to investigate the poll debacle the party faced in the district, has evaluated that the shortcomings in the party’s stance with regard to the beef issue had led to an erosion of minority votes, said Congress leaders.
Apart from the beef issue, the report also remarked that the lack of cohesion and issues of the factional feud were a result of the defeat in the local body polls. KPCC vice-president Bharathipuram Sasi will submit a report to KPCC president V M Sudheeran on Monday. A meeting between KPCC executives and DCC leaders in the district, where the party faced the most unexpected rout, will be held shortly.
The UDF suffered a body blow in the number of seats in Thrissur Corporation to 21 out of 55 divisions from its previous share of 46, while the BJP increased its vote share from 2 seats in 2010 to 6 seats, while the CPM emerged as the single largest party with 25 seats. The CPM has also made significant advances in block and district panchayats compared to its performance in the previous elections where it had won in 7 blocks and 12 wards in the district panchayat. In the grama panchayats too, the party has registered a steady increase. According to CPM District Secretary A C Moideen, the party had won in 61 grama panchayats in the previous elections.
The DCC, in the aftermath of the defeat, had highlighted some of the major reasons for the rout. “Both Mayors were in the running for the polls and there was a lack of leadership to communicate the plethora of developmental activities undertaken by the party, to the people. There was also a streak of over confidence that we would win the Corporation no matter what,” said Congress leaders.