Left in the lurch: Factors that bled Pinarayi Vijayan's alliance in Kerala
With the cadre distancing themselves even in its bastions, the Left has big worries in post-poll Kerala. A dominant fear is of this base feeding the BJP
After the Trinamool Congress wrested West Bengal in 2011 and the BJP took Tripura in 2018, Kerala made an exception from the tradition of alternating power between its two principal alliances by giving the Left Democratic Front (LDF) two consecutive tenures since 2016. Then came the ruthless rejection in 2026.
The CPI(M)-helmed LDF’s seat share in the 140-member legislative assembly dropped to 35, close to a third of its numbers in 2021. The vote share stood at 37.64 per cent, a fall of nearly 8 percentage points. The victorious Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) got 102 seats and 46.54 per cent of the votes. The remaining three seats went to the BJP.
The LDF’s defeat came with worries of a serious vote drain even on home turfs. While anti-incumbency was inevitable after a decade of rule, the alliance also suffered from the consolidation of minorities behind the UDF.
But Left supporters suggested the reasons were deeper. As Saritha Mohan, a 54-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram, said: “The women and youth voted against the Left due to their arrogance in power.” Her reference was to the Vijayan government’s handling last year of the protesting Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), who wanted higher pay and other benefits. Saritha said the “insensitivity” of the government was evident when the chief minister ignored the months-long agitation right in front of the secretariat.
The Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association said in a statement that “anti-worker” policies had contributed to the LDF’s defeat. Even CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam remarked that the Vijayan government had mishandled the protest.
The CPI(M) was also bled by its own: T.K. Govindan (Taliparamba seat), V. Kunhikrishnan (Payyannur) and G. Sudhakaran (Ambalappuzha). The victories of these party rebels, who contested with the open backing of the UDF, exposes organisational incapacity in keeping disgruntled leaders in check.
“The LDF suffered defeat due to several factors—overconfidence, underestimation of the UDF, loss of grassroots linkages with the cadre, and the culture of sycophancy that developed in the government and within party ranks in the decade-long rule,” said Dr Sebastian Paul, former Lok Sabha MP and an ex-CPI(M) legislator.
The Left lost its stronghold of Thrikaripur in Kasaragod district, just like the Kannur and Kozhikode North and South seats. The LDF drew a blank in the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki. Vijayan won Dharmadam by over 19,000 votes, but after trailing in six rounds of counting.
“The Left in Kerala had lost its political conscience and Pinarayi Vijayan is responsible for the doom. He must retire in the interests of his party,” said Vadakara MLA and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India leader K.K. Rema.
With the cadre visibly distancing themselves even in its bastions, the Left has enough worries in post-election Kerala. A dominant fear is of this support base now feeding the BJP, a prospect that has wider ramifications in the largely binary politics of the state.
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After the Trinamool Congress wrested West Bengal in 2011 and the BJP took Tripura in 2018, Kerala made an exception from the tradition of alternating power between its two principal alliances by giving the Left Democratic Front (LDF) two consecutive tenures since 2016. Then came the ruthless rejection in 2026.
The CPI(M)-helmed LDF’s seat share in the 140-member legislative assembly dropped to 35, close to a third of its numbers in 2021. The vote share stood at 37.64 per cent, a fall of nearly 8 percentage points. The victorious Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) got 102 seats and 46.54 per cent of the votes. The remaining three seats went to the BJP.
The LDF’s defeat came with worries of a serious vote drain even on home turfs. While anti-incumbency was inevitable after a decade of rule, the alliance also suffered from the consolidation of minorities behind the UDF.
But Left supporters suggested the reasons were deeper. As Saritha Mohan, a 54-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram, said: “The women and youth voted against the Left due to their arrogance in power.” Her reference was to the Vijayan government’s handling last year of the protesting Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), who wanted higher pay and other benefits. Saritha said the “insensitivity” of the government was evident when the chief minister ignored the months-long agitation right in front of the secretariat.
The Kerala ASHA Health Workers Association said in a statement that “anti-worker” policies had contributed to the LDF’s defeat. Even CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam remarked that the Vijayan government had mishandled the protest.
The CPI(M) was also bled by its own: T.K. Govindan (Taliparamba seat), V. Kunhikrishnan (Payyannur) and G. Sudhakaran (Ambalappuzha). The victories of these party rebels, who contested with the open backing of the UDF, exposes organisational incapacity in keeping disgruntled leaders in check.
“The LDF suffered defeat due to several factors—overconfidence, underestimation of the UDF, loss of grassroots linkages with the cadre, and the culture of sycophancy that developed in the government and within party ranks in the decade-long rule,” said Dr Sebastian Paul, former Lok Sabha MP and an ex-CPI(M) legislator.
The Left lost its stronghold of Thrikaripur in Kasaragod district, just like the Kannur and Kozhikode North and South seats. The LDF drew a blank in the districts of Wayanad, Malappuram, Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki. Vijayan won Dharmadam by over 19,000 votes, but after trailing in six rounds of counting.
“The Left in Kerala had lost its political conscience and Pinarayi Vijayan is responsible for the doom. He must retire in the interests of his party,” said Vadakara MLA and Revolutionary Marxist Party of India leader K.K. Rema.
With the cadre visibly distancing themselves even in its bastions, the Left has enough worries in post-election Kerala. A dominant fear is of this support base now feeding the BJP, a prospect that has wider ramifications in the largely binary politics of the state.
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