PALAKKAD: Following the defeat in the Palakkad by-election, the CPM's tactics in the constituency have been criticized as a complete failure. A section has described the campaign as a mere child's play. They point to the box story as an example of this. It is assessed that the public controversy among party leaders over this has also backfired. Therefore, the party is planning to examine everything, including the campaign tactics.

A section of leaders is also criticizing those who led the campaign from the front, including Minister MB Rajesh, for lacking maturity. They point out that the decision to make Sarin a candidate, who had criticized the Chief Minister and the CPM until the previous day and had turned against the Congress when he did not get a seat, was a 100 percent failure. They say that the party could have gotten a few more votes but lost them and that if it had gotten those more votes, it could have at least reached second place.

The criticism that the BJP often took a soft approach when it made the UDF, which was in first place, its main enemy, remains. The shame of the BJP and the CPM joining hands to confront the Congress in the box controversy will not leave the party in the near future. The handing over of Sandeep Varier to the Congress is also being pointed out as another lapse. Sandeep Varier, who was adamant until the last moment that he would join the Left, was snatched away by the Congress overnight. It is heard that Sandeep said goodbye to the Left in a move regarding his position in the party and the seat to contest in the upcoming elections.

There is also an assessment that the CPM, which initially gave Sandeep a Mr. Clean image, made a backlash by calling him a communalist after he joined the Congress. The advertisement given in newspapers like Suprabhatham and Siraj on the eve of the elections was also another big lapse. On the other hand, the Congress made the most of all the opportunities that fell to it and secured a huge victory.

UDF candidate Rahul Mamkoottathil is entering the assembly by winning a historic majority (18,840 votes) in the tightly contested Palakkad by-election. The previous largest majority in the constituency was won by Shafi Parambil in 2016. Shafi won by a margin of 17,483 votes that year.

This time, NDA candidate C Krishnakumar, who came second, could only get 39,549 votes. The Left candidate, who had to settle for third place for the third consecutive time, received 37,293 votes.