Three defeats in a row in two parliamentary seats in Kozhikode district may prompt the CPI(M) to do a course correction before the local body polls next year and the Assembly election in 2021.
Despite carefully choosing the candidates and employing all resources, the party lost in the direct fight against its arch rival, the Congress, in Kozhikode and Vadakara constituencies. The party believes that both the constituencies have traditionally favoured the Left.
It now appears that the time has come for the party to do a serious soul-searching to deal with the changing face of the electorate. It lost lead in all the 13 Assembly segments in the district in the Lok Sabha elections.
The CPI(M) fielded A. Pradeep Kumar, a three-time MLA representing Kozhikode North. However, he proved no match for Congress MP M.K. Raghavan, who was aiming at a hat trick. Besides, Mr. Raghavan was embroiled in a sting operation controversy that many thought would impede even his political career.
Not only did Mr. Raghavan survive the onslaught but went on to secure a bigger margin than before, thus establishing his credentials. Moreover, the CPI(M) campaign managers overreacted to the controversy by taking the issue to the public and also underscored the popularity of Mr. Raghavan in rural areas.
Mr. Pradeep Kumar was a better candidate than several other names listed by the party to wrest back Kozhikode. But it had failed to appeal to the broader spectrum of voters after the NDA government came to power at the Centre in 2014.
The party’s anti-Modi campaign might have yielded rich dividends in the 2015 local body and 2016 Assembly polls as it won the trust of the Muslim community. However, it was ephemeral. Further in the Sabarimala issue, it earned the wrath of the Hindu community.
In the case of Vadakara, the CPI(M) fielded P. Jayarajan after making him resign as the secretary of its Kannur district unit. Now, many leaders feel that his candidature could be a reason for the party’s debacle when it was tangled up in the politics of violence in Malabar.
Criminal charges
Mr. Jayarajan was facing several criminal charges including two cases of alleged killing of rival political activists. His nomination, in fact, robustly activated the anti-Jayarajan forces, politically and religiously in Vadakara.
It is certainly a wake-up call for the CPI(M) leadership in Kozhikode to rework its strategies.