'BJP will soon win Thiruvananthapuram...'; silent fear within CPM district secretariat meeting

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM district secretariat meeting held on Friday deliberated BJP’s rise in Kerala and insisted the government learn from its mistakes.

Takeaways from meeting:

• The welfare pension arrears affected the elections.
• The high level of criticism against the SFI leadership in connection with the death of Pookode Veterinary College student Siddharth also backfired.
• News of LDF convener EP Jayarajan's meeting with BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on election day embarrassed the party.

The leaders said the party needs course correction to win the upcoming local elections. More than the embarrassing defeat in two constituencies of Thiruvananthapuram, the CPM meeting held the premonition of BJP storming to power in Thiruvananthapuram in coming years.

CPM meeting:

"For the third time, LDF was relegated to the third position in Thiruvananthapuram. Rajeev Chandrasekhar was selected as a candidate only one month before the elections, but the vote BJP garnered is shocking nevertheless.

Had Shashi Tharoor not been the Congress candidate, the result would have been in BJP's favour. Many people have received personal benefits from the central government, even including CPM families.' The meeting also discussed the erosion of votes from the core voter base. The internal conflicts within the party also added to the worries.

The election review report presented by the secretary asked everyone to seriously consider the vote increase made by BJP in Thiruvananthapuram district.

“BJP was not far behind in votes even when faced with a strong opponent like V Joy in Attingal. This is a warning and if not given due seriousness, the day won’t be far when the saffron party wrests control of the capital city.”

The Party district committee meeting will be held on Sunday.