Pathanamthitta: Following the CPM district secretariat, severe criticism has been levelled against former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the Pathanamthitta District Committee as well. Criticisms arose that Pinarayi himself should have contested in Peravoor instead of fielding K K Shailaja. Former Minister Veena George also faced backlash in the district committee.

Committee members pointed out that if he was contesting for a third time after obtaining an exemption to lead the party to victory, Pinarayi himself should have contested in Peravoor instead of K K Shailaja. Members highlighted that lapses in governance and decisions made by the party leadership led to the electoral defeat.

Critics noted that Shailaja could have been fielded in another winnable seat, and Pinarayi, who set out to lead the party to victory, should have directly engaged in tough contests. Heavy criticism also arose regarding the decision to reinstate Pinarayi Vijayan to a responsible position like the Leader of the Opposition.

The criticism against former Minister Veena George was that her functioning style alienated her from the public. It was alleged that her intervention was such that even party workers could not reach her over the phone for urgent matters, and this approach contributed to the election defeat. Becoming embroiled in continuous controversies and failing to provide proper explanations for them were the main grievances raised against Veena George.

Earlier, the Pathanamthitta District Secretariat had questioned why Pinarayi Vijayan, who was unwilling to even accept responsibility for the failure as Chief Minister, was made the Leader of the Opposition. It was alleged that he is challenging the party cadres once again. The age-limit exemption was granted solely for him to become the Chief Minister, the district secretariat pointed out. Therefore, someone else must urgently take over the post of Leader of the Opposition, otherwise, the District Secretariat warned, a greater downfall would be imminent.