‘Unexpected, but accepting with humility’: Binoy Viswam admits shock as NDA shakes Left bastions

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has accepted the people’s verdict in the local body elections “with humility” and has initiated a process of introspection to understand the reasons behind the setback suffered by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam said on Saturday.

In a Facebook post, Viswam described the election outcome as unexpected and said the party has a responsibility to conduct a serious and in-depth analysis of the factors that led to the defeat. “We will study the lessons from the election results, correct our shortcomings, and return with renewed strength,” he said.

As part of this process, the CPI has decided to directly seek feedback from the public on the reasons for the setback faced by the party and the LDF. According to Viswam, the outreach is intended to be a sincere exercise in self-criticism and course correction.

Those willing to share their views have been invited to write directly to the party. Letters can be addressed to the Secretary, CPI State Council, M.N. Memorial, Thiruvananthapuram–14.

The remarks come a day after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) scripted history by securing control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending the LDF’s four-decade-long rule in the civic body.

Of the 101 wards in the corporation, the NDA won 50 seats, the LDF secured 29, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19, while two seats went to independent candidates.

The BJP’s victory has come as a shock to both the UDF and the Left parties, with the NDA steadily expanding its vote share and emerging as a third political force in the state. The trend follows the BJP’s breakthrough last year when its candidate Suresh Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency.

Across Kerala, the UDF emerged as the biggest winner at the grassroots level, leading in 505 of the 941 Grama Panchayats as of 9 pm on Saturday, according to the State Election Commission. The LDF secured a majority in 340 Grama Panchayats, while the NDA led in 26. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won three seats.

The AAP winners include Beena Kurian (Ward 13, Karimkunnam Grama Panchayat), Sini Antony (Ward 16, Mullenkolly Grama Panchayat), and Smitha Luke (Ward 4, Uzhavoor Grama Panchayat). Meanwhile, results in 64 Grama Panchayats were tied.

At the Block Panchayat level, the UDF led in 79 of the 152 bodies, while the LDF was ahead in 63. Ten Block Panchayats witnessed a tie.