K C Venugopal Says CPM’s 'Soft' Approach Towards BJP Responsible for LDF Rout in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram:  AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal stated on Monday that the ruling CPM-led LDF suffered a major defeat in the Kerala Lok Sabha elections due to its "lenient" approach towards the BJP and RSS.

Venugopal, who was elected from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha constituency, stated that the CPM never focused on the BJP and RSS during the entire campaign. Throughout the election campaign, the CPM launched a relentless attack on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress. "This was a major fault on the part of the Kerala CPM, which led to a significant shift of Marxist votes towards the BJP,"Venugopal said.

Compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls this time the Congress vote share in Alappuzha came down by 30,936, and the CPM vote share dropped by 1,04,934 votes. The biggest beneficiary was the BJP candidate who increased the party’s vote share by 1,11,919 votes.

Venugopal says the CPM loss was the BJP’s gain in the constituency. “The Kerala CPM leadership, including the state committee, failed to send a strong message to its cadre that the BJP was its enemy No. 1 and needed to be fought tooth and nail. This is the reason for the erosion of CPM votes in their traditional strongholds. Previously, this was not the case in Kerala. CPM and Congress supporters never used to vote for the BJP in Kerala,” he said.

The CPM should reflect on why even its traditional supporters from Punnapra and Vayalar considered voting for the BJP.

"We have never wished for the CPM to be decimated. Instead of humbly accepting defeat in the Lok Sabha polls, the CPM is blaming others. If they continue with this stance, they are going to meet the same fate as their Bengal counterparts," he said.

The Congress leader said his party will also evaluate the defeat of the UDF candidate in Thrissur besides a drop in vote share in some other constituencies. “We are not complacent because of victory. A detailed analysis will be carried out in each constituency,” he said.

CPM PB for a detailed evaluation of Kerala defeat

The CPM politburo, which met in Delhi recently, expressed disappointment with the party's performance in Kerala. In a statement, the PB stated that there would be a thorough examination and evaluation of the results. The central leadership believes that the party needs to study in detail the factors responsible for the growing electoral strength of the BJP in Kerala, which until recently was considered out of bounds for the Sangh Parivar. The erosion of votes in CPM's traditional strongholds is a cause of concern for the party. The forthcoming meetings of the state leadership will delve into the reasons for the electoral setback and come up with concrete suggestions to overcome it. The ruling LDF managed to win just one Lok Sabha seat, where Minister for the welfare of SC/ST and OBC K Radhakrishnan defeated sitting MP Remya Haridas of the Congress.