Leader of the Opposition in Keralam and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday (August 30, 2026) asked the Left Democratic Front (LDF) supporters of the Taliparamba Assembly constituency, a traditional stronghold of the CPI(M) where United Democratic Front (UDF)-backed CPI(M) rebel T.K. Govindan was elected in the recent elections, to realise their mistake and work toward strengthening the party.
“Some of you would be repenting electing an opportunist like T.K. Govindan. I’m referring to the LDF supporters who voted for Mr. Govindan. They should realise the party sentiment and espouse the correct political position. An opportunist like Mr. Govindan has won here and we have been defeated across Keralam. We accept the defeat in Taliparamba as well. But Mr. Govindan’s win needn’t be seen as a win forever. It’s a time for the party to move forward united,” Mr. Vijayan said.
He was speaking at a CPI(M) public rally at Mayyil in the constituency.
Mr. Vijayan said the defeat should not be viewed as the end of the party’s political prospects or as a permanent change in the constituency’s political allegiance. However, he said, the sharp decline in the LDF’s vote share required serious examination.
Mr. Vijayan said the LDF vote share in Taliparamba fell from over 52% in 2021 to about 41% in the latest election. The UDF-backed Independent candidate secured around 47% of the votes in the recent Assembly elections. This was only around 2.9% higher than the votes secured by Independent candidate Narayanan Nambiar in 1977, suggesting that the latest result should not be interpreted as a fundamental realignment of the constituency.
Mr. Vijayan said the victory of the Independent candidate should not be considered permanent, citing the constituency’s electoral history.
‘Anti-CPI(M) propaganda’
Mr. Vijayan attributed the setback partly to sustained anti-CPI(M) propaganda and the intervention of right-wing forces. He alleged that the Congress-led UDF and the Bharatiya Janata Prty (BJP), along with sections of the media, had worked to weaken the LDF and discredit the CPI(M).
Mr. Vijayan said the CPI(M) had survived serious internal and external challenges in the past as its workers remained united. “The party had previously faced factionalism and instances of members sharing information with political opponents, but it had overcome such crises through collective action and organisational discipline,” he said.
He said the LDF accepted the people’s verdict but would work to regain public confidence.
Mr. Vijayan criticised the Congress-led UDF government, alleging that it was showing increasing accommodation towards the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) agenda on issues, including secularism, education and the Waqf.
He criticised the Union government for, what he described as, corporate-friendly policies, weakening of welfare measures and workers’ rights, and an increasingly aggressive communal agenda. “Kerala had historically resisted the RSS-led Sangh Parivar agenda through political and legal struggles. The new UDF government had begun moving away from that tradition,” he alleged.
Mr. Vijayan said the immediate task before the CPI(M) was to confront its weaknesses, restore organisational unity and reconnect with voters. The Taliparamba setback, he said, should therefore be treated as a challenge to rebuild the party rather than as the end of its political influence.
Published – August 30, 2026 09:31 pm IST
