VS Achuthanandan, Pinarayi Vijayan must have shared stage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM central leadership has expressed serious displeasure over the LDF’s failure to exploit the extremely favourable conditions in the Aruvikkara bypoll.

The bypoll defeat came up for discussion at the politburo meeting which began in New Delhi on Monday. Besides the review report of the Kerala state committee, the politburo meeting will also deliberate on the BJP's strides in Tripura and West Bengal.

Despite the UDF government being neck deep in corruption and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy battling the solar fraud and bar bribe case, the LDF could not politically convince the average voter about the need to defeat the ruling front.

Even the huge increase in vote share of the BJP has been attributed to the LDF’s failure to project itself as the only opposition force.

The BJP took advantage of the situation by creating confusion in the minds of people and also by posing itself as the true opposition fighting corruption. 

It managed to win the confidence of a section of voters which proved costly for the LDF.

The central leadership believed that the failure of Opposition leader V. S. Achuthanandan and CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan to come together on common stage had sent a wrong signal across the constituency.

The leadership should have set aside their differences to share the stage for preventing the UDF from taking advantage. However, that didn't happen.

Though the state committee’s preliminary review report on the defeat mentioned about the BJP factor, the state CPM leadership is not ready to concede that the saffron surge is one of the major factors for the defeat. Political analysts, however, say the booth-wise voting pattern speaks a different story.

Of the 154 booths, the LDF vote share decreased in 150. But what is more alarming is the increase in the share of BJP votes in 150 booths.

While the LDF vote share declined by 10 per cent in 94 booths, the number of BJP votes increased by over 10 per cent in 84 booths.

On the other hand, the UDF vote share has declined in 77 booths that too marginally. Only in four booths, the UDF vote share has gone down by over 10 per cent, clearly hinting at the shift of Left votes to the BJP.

The central leadership wants the state CPM to evaluate its performance lapses threadbare and initiate rectification measures ahead of the local bodies poll in Octobe