The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has reportedly commenced an intra-party exercise to examine, reportedly with a fine-tooth comb, the granular-level reasons for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) political bloodbath in the 2026 Assembly elections, as realisation seemed to dawn on the leadership that there is no magic bullet for resolving the issues that led to the historic defeat.
The debilitating rout, especially in the party’s strongholds in Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kasaragod, and Alappuzha, among other districts, has thrown up some big questions regarding the CPI(M)’s campaign strategy, organisational cohesiveness, candidate finalisation, and efficacy of its political operations, including whether “misplaced confidence” of an “inevitable” third consecutive term in power had imbued the party’s electioneering with complacency from the booth level and upwards.
Published – May 05, 2026 09:19 pm IST
