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LDF rout in Kerala: CPI(M) leaders acknowledge loss, Pinarayi Vijayan remains silent
The morning after the declaration of election results that brought down his 10-year-old government in Kerala, outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alighted at the Thiruvananthapuram airport, and got in a car arranged by the AKG Centre. The office car and the police escort that had accompanied him these past 10 years were glaringly absent. He is yet to make a public response about the massive defeat of the Left Democratic Front in the assembly election of 2026. The LDF led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was reduced to 35 seats in an assembly of 140. The opposition led by the Congress grabbed a whopping 102 of the remaining seats, leaving three for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Characteristically, leaders of the losing front, while accepting the verdict of the public, promised to examine where they went wrong and mend their ways. MV Govindan, the CPI(M) general secretary in Kerala said that it was an unexpected backlash but the party will deeply study all sides of the defeat, make learned corrections, and move on with more strength. He refused to comment about the dissidents who found victory even after leaving the party, or about the anti-incumbency factor which might have cost them a lot. CPI(M)’s national secretary MA Baby also took the same line, admitting that the assembly election results were a serious setback to the LDF. He also touched upon the difficulties of ruling under the BJP-led Union government. “The LDF was defeated in Kerala after 10 years of continuous rule during which it had done its best for the welfare of the people and to meet their aspirations given the financial constraints imposed by the BJP-led union government. The CPI(M) respects the people's verdict and will introspect on the reasons that led to the defeat of LDF in Kerala,” he said. Ministers who held key posts like Veena George (Health) and P Rajeev (Industries), thanked their voters and accepted their defeat in statements they posted online. “I could make Aranmula, which had only dreamed about development before, a developed constituency. I hope the developmental projects which had been set in motion in Aranmula would continue to progress,” Veena said. Rajeev admitted that the LDF faced a massive defeat in Kerala and this was reflected in his constituency of Kalamassery too. "As an MLA and minister, I have tried to do the best for the people who put their faith in me. I believe I had actively intervened in developmental work and public concerns." KK Shailaja, former minister and CPI(M) leader who had won with a historic margin in the last election, also echoed the sentiments of her comrades, and accepted her defeat, while congratulating her Congress opponent Sunny Joseph for his victory. However, some party leaders have been more vocal about their disappointment. Popular CPI(M) leader M Swaraj, known for his analytical discourses, said that it was an undeserved defeat. "The LDF should not have lost. The state had progressed much under the LDF rule. Even the [party] rivals would agree with this," he claimed. According to Swaraj, voters may have been influenced by a tendency to opt for an alternative after two consecutive terms of a particular political front. He also noted that the public could critically assess even minor shortcomings of the Left government and seek a course correction. The LDF would be prepared to address these concerns and return strongly, he said.Outgoing finance minister KN Balagopal, one of the few LDF ministers who won the election, said that it was a backlash they had not expected, and they should seriously study why, despite achieving a lot in the past decade, the LDF was voted out of power. "It could not be simplified as anti-incumbency," he said.Former finance minister and another articulate orator of the party, Thomas Isaac, also reiterated that the margin of defeat was surprising, “that too, after a decade of exemplary performance by the government .We are used to alternating in power in Kerala and therefore will correct our mistakes, win back the support of the people, and make a come back.”
THE morning after the declaration of election results that brought down his 10-year-old government in Kerala, outgoing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alighted at the Thiruvananthapuram airport and got in a car arranged by the AKG Centre. The office car and the police escort that had accompanied him these past 10 years were glaringly absent.
He is yet to make a public response about the massive defeat of the Left Democratic Front in the assembly election of 2026. The LDF, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was reduced to 35 seats in an assembly of 140. The opposition led by the Congress grabbed a whopping 102 of the remaining seats, leaving three for the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Characteristically, leaders of the losing front, while accepting the verdict of the public, promised to examine where they went wrong and mend their ways. MV Govindan, the CPI(M) general secretary in Kerala, said that it was an unexpected backlash but the party will deeply study all sides of the defeat, make learned corrections, and move on with more strength. He refused to comment about the dissidents who found victory even after leaving the party, or on the anti-incumbency factor, which might have cost them a lot.
CPI(M)’s national secretary, MA Baby, also took the same line, admitting that the assembly election results were a serious setback to the LDF. He also touched upon the difficulties of ruling under the BJP-led Union government.
“The LDF was defeated in Kerala after 10 years of continuous rule, during which it had done its best for the welfare of the people and to meet their aspirations, given the financial constraints imposed by the BJP-led union government. The CPI(M) respects the people's verdict and will introspect on the reasons that led to the defeat of LDF in Kerala,” he said.
Ministers who held key posts like Veena George (Health) and P Rajeev (Industries), thanked their voters and accepted their defeat in statements they posted online.
“I could make Aranmula, which had only dreamed about development before, a developed constituency. I hope the developmental projects which had been set in motion in Aranmula would continue to progress,” Veena said.
Rajeev admitted that the LDF faced a massive defeat in Kerala and this was reflected in his constituency of Kalamassery too. "As an MLA and minister, I have tried to do the best for the people who put their faith in me. I believe I had actively intervened in developmental work and public concerns."
KK Shailaja, former minister and CPI(M) leader who had won with a historic margin in the last election, also echoed the sentiments of her comrades, and accepted her defeat, while congratulating her Congress opponent Sunny Joseph, for his victory.
However, some party leaders have been more vocal about their disappointment. Popular CPI(M) leader M Swaraj, known for his analytical discourses, said that it was an undeserved defeat. "The LDF should not have lost. The state had progressed much under the LDF rule. Even the [party] rivals would agree with this," he claimed.
According to Swaraj, voters may have been influenced by a tendency to opt for an alternative after two consecutive terms of a particular political front. He also noted that the public could critically assess even minor shortcomings of the Left government and seek a course correction. The LDF would be prepared to address these concerns and return strongly, he said.
Outgoing finance minister KN Balagopal, one of the few LDF ministers who won the election, said that it was a backlash they had not expected, and they should seriously study why, despite achieving a lot in the past decade, the LDF was voted out of power. "It could not be simplified as anti-incumbency," he said.
Former finance minister and another articulate orator of the party, Thomas Isaac, also reiterated that the margin of defeat was surprising, “that too, after a decade of exemplary performance by the government. We are used to alternating in power in Kerala and therefore will correct our mistakes, win back the support of the people, and make a comeback.”
