THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, nearly all surveys predicted a total washout for the LDF. With the turbulent Sabarimala factor combined with the ‘prime-minister-in-making’ Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad, the UDF leadership was evidently upbeat while none of the Left leaders dared to effectively counter the charges, except for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who dismissed the surveys as mere bluffs untouched by reality.
Following a 19-1 LS setback, the entire CPM leadership went on to concede the party had taken an incorrect stance on Sabarimala. But Pinarayi refused to bite the bullet.
His climb up the party ladder has not been without hurdles. If the VS-Pinarayi bloodsport had kept the party on tenterhooks for long, the same also served to bolster solid resistance against the UDF and the BJP in Kerala.
Since 2019, after VS suffered a minor stroke, it was Pinarayi, ably supported by his close confidante the late Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who consistently led a one-man battle against the UDF in the state and the BJP-led Union government at the Centre.
Not that such battles made him a man of the masses overnight. In fact, there has never been a dearth of critics, either in media or in social circles, of his purportedly autocratic way of functioning.
Pinarayi himself has stated, rather boasted, more than once, that he was never a ‘creation’ of the media. To be more precise, he took great pride in carving out his very own unique political niche, by warding off not just his political opponents, but also a watchful and often hostile media.
Political Kerala hence had no choice but to pay rapt attention to a leader who didn’t, for a change, make any excuses for his flaws. A slew of back-to-back calamities since 2017 – Ockhi, Nipah, two floods and finally an extended Covid pandemic – cemented him as the unwavering leader to turn to in times of crises.
The historic win in 2021, despite a slew of allegations against him personally and the state government, only went on to further establish him as an iconic leader in the state. Throughout his chief ministerial tenure, Pinarayi was successful in both creating and projecting an impression of him being the sole contender to thwart Narendra Modi’s divisive rhetoric and the saffron threat looming over the entire nation. That he is often, ironically, likened to PM Modi for his autocratic style of functioning is an open secret that has however failed to eat into his popularity among the secular lot.
In many ways, it was once again Pinarayi who set the ball rolling for the latest election campaign in the state, well before the poll bugle had sounded. With his firm backing, the Keraleeyam Initiative last November was planned to cleverly coincide with the Kerala formation day, in a bid to subtly explore the scope of identity politics, a brand of politicking that has successfully paid electoral dividends in neighbouring Tamil Nadu many a time.
The five-week long Nava Kerala Sadas, a first of its kind political gimmick, too saw the entire cabinet on the move. And Pinarayi made sure the crowds got to relentlessly hear of the reported ‘anti-Kerala’ stance of the BJP-led Union government as well as the UDF’s powerlessness in taking on the Centre.
Pinarayi set the tone again with an unprecedentedly scathing attack, and subsequent counterattacks, on the Congress, especially Rahul Gandhi. What followed was an ugly spat between two senior leaders of the anti-BJP bloc, that had even Modi commenting on the infighting within the INDIA bloc.
Curiously, this is where the so-called Pinarayi factor has had to endure a tectonic shift. Once hailed and adored as the Captain, he has had to suffer collateral damage because of his almost dictatorial approach and rigid personality traits.
The LS poll campaigning has hence been witnessing palpable anti-incumbency factors against both the Centre and the state government. Contrary to the usual scenario, it is not just against the state government but against Pinarayi too.
While there’s an evident anti-Modi factor stemming from the LDF-UDF campaign, there’s an equally strong anti-Pinarayi factor too bubbling in the minds of the voters, especially after the CM’s visible reluctance to distance himself from the political violence that is blatantly indulged in by Left-leaning student outfits, especially the SFI, and his glaring failure to rein them in.
“It’s true that his personality traits and authoritarian approach have invited criticism from many corners. But we should not limit this sentiment to Pinarayi per se. It’s also a sentiment against the Left government as a whole, and its failure on many fronts like the current financial crisis, poor performance by ministers, violence by SFI and a slew of other factors. Of course, as the leader, he will be held primarily responsible,” said political observer Dr G Gopakumar.
Left leaders, while admitting secretly there’s an anti-Pinarayi sentiment, especially among the Left-minded liberals, they sincerely hope it would not reflect in the LS polls. With just two days remaining for the polls, it’s certain that this election too will witness a ‘Pinarayi factor’. Whether it would favour the Left or act against it, only the verdict will tell.
On the front foot
The Kannur strongman learnt to weave his political rhetoric at Brennen College in Thalassery as student leader
Beginning as a humble party worker, around the same time as Oommen Chandy, Pinarayi could be termed a self-made leader
He took up the role of CPM secretary in 1998 and continued in the post for 16 years. Within months of stepping down, he assumed the role of the CM
For the past 26 years, since he unexpectedly put on the mantle of CPM state secy, he has stood tall in Kerala politics
A slew of back-to-back calamities since 2017 – Ockhi, Nipah, 2 floods and the Covid pandemic – cemented him as the unwavering leader to turn to in times of crises
Throughout his tenure, he was successful in creating an impression of him being the sole contender to thwart Narendra Modi’s divisive rhetoric and the saffron threat looming over the country.
