ALAPPUZHA: A day after the stunning defeat in its citadel of Aroor, the CPM Alappuzha district committee on Friday maintained a studious silence on the loss despite the discontent brewing among party cadres. The committee neither issued an official statement nor explanation on the defeat. Party strongman G. Sudhakaran, however, sought to wriggle himself out of the blame laid at his door for his remarks against the UDF candidate Shanimol Usman for the defeat.
Mr Sudhakaran told reporters that he should not be held responsible for the loss. "It was because of my hard work the party saved its face in the constituency," he said. "Otherwise, the margin of Ms Usman would have gone up." He also went onto say that many people in the party are creating news against him.
The district leadership, meanwhile, carried out a preliminary assessment on the fall in the number of votes in its strongholds, including coastal and rural areas. It is understood that the Muslim votes, especially in Aroor and Arookutty panchayats which the party had consolidated over period, moved to the UDF. A major share of BDJS votes also flowed in favour of the UDF candidate.
The party's district secretariat has not met to discuss the matter. District secretary R. Nazer said that no date had been scheduled to discuss the matter.
A section of the party workers feel that Mr Sudhakaran made the remark as a desperate measure after realising that his choice of candidate failed to match the vote-capturing ability of Ms Usman. Apart from this, the party candidate's credentials did not match a doughty Usman's, they say.
Sources told DC that the party machinery failed to build a counter narrative to Ms. Usman's emotional appeal to the voters from the beginning. The undercurrents in the coastal areas also need to be studied, they said.
Meanwhile, the 11-member district secretariat, dominated by Sudhakaran-loyalists, is very unlikely to take a stand against Mr. Sudhakaran especially in the context of the minister himself took position that his 'Poothana' comment did not cause the loss in the constituency.
