THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While it may find some consolation in the fact that it got 860 more votes in the recent bypoll than its 2021 assembly election tally, the CPM is faced with a herculean task in Palakkad, specifically, establishing a popular base in urban areas and strengthening itself organisationally.
Though the difference in votes between the CPM and the BJP came down to 2,090, the Left party was shocked as a majority of urban, upper caste, and Hindu votes that favoured the BJP earlier chose the Congress this time. Consolidated minority Muslim votes too went to the grand old party.
Still, the CPM leadership believes that projecting estranged Congress leader P Sarin as its candidate was the right move. It also feels its strategy would be politically beneficial for the party in the long term.
However, the fact remains that the CPM is facing a grave situation in the district, a senior CPM leader from Palakkad told TNIE. “There is a dearth of cadre for handling the party’s day-to-day activities. Organisationally, the party is too weak. In this scenario, the increase of 860 votes is actually progress,” said the leader.
The over two-decade-long factionalism that continues even now is being blamed for the CPM’s less-than-ideal situation. The Left party found itself without any influence in the place where the BJP has a strong presence – Palakkad town.
“The CPM has no popular base in urban areas, where most middle class and upper middle class population lives. I dare say we lack cadre in those areas. We have to start from scratch,” a CPM leader said.
In its preliminary review of the bypoll result, the CPM leadership found that factors like internal feud and the BJP’s alleged failure in Palakkad municipality resulted in its votes going to the Congress.
“The core voters of the BJP are people having affinity with Hindutva. They comprise upper caste and middle class voters. We had sensed the issues in the BJP and had anticipated that a portion of these votes would naturally come to us. However, the votes went to Congress as people viewed the grand old party as a substitute to the BJP. Ditto with Muslim minority votes. The Jamaat e Islami and SDPI accelerated the flow,” he said.
Meanwhile, the backlash in CPM-dominated panchayats like Kannadi and Mathur has also sparked concern in CPM ranks.
“People are migrating from town areas to panchayats. Hence, the sociological behaviour of these areas is changing. This is a loose end that needs to be tied up. The dissatisfaction of paddy farmers in these panchayats with the government over the latter’s failure to fulfil its promise of issuing procurement price rise without delays, hurt us too,” a CPM leader from Palakkad said.
