CPI(M) review meeting turns explosive; members allege local cadres were ‘bought’ by BJP in Nemam

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A post-election review meeting of the CPI(M) Area Committee turned turbulent following severe allegations regarding the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) defeat in the Nemam constituency. Internal critics claimed that certain local elements accepted financial inducements from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to deliberately sabotage the LDF's electoral prospects. Demanding a formal party inquiry, several committee members stated they were prepared to produce evidence if an internal commission was appointed. The heated debate took place in the presence of senior party leader M.V. Jayarajan.

The victory of BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar effectively dismantles the long-standing political narrative of the CPI(M) and State Minister V. Sivankutty, who had previously boasted that the saffron party's "account in Kerala had been permanently sealed."

Historically a high-stakes battleground, Nemam was first breached by the BJP in 2016 when O. Rajagopal secured the seat. The CPI(M) wrested it back in 2021 through V. Sivankutty, who defeated BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan. However, during the recent election, Rajeev Chandrasekhar maintained an uninterrupted lead from the opening rounds of counting, ultimately securing the seat with a margin of 4,978 votes—surpassing the LDF's 2021 winning margin of 3,949 votes.

A statistical breakdown reveals a sharp decline across opposition fronts, heavily favoring the BJP. While the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate K. Muraleedharan had secured 36,524 votes in the previous election, this term’s candidate, K.S. Sabarinadhan, managed to garner only 29,730 votes. Concurrently, the LDF's core vote share also witnessed a significant drop, sliding from 55,837 to 52,214 votes, indicating a substantial shift in the local political landscape.