The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) on Tuesday struggled to dispel widespread speculation that some of its top leaders had prospected for accommodation in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the wake of the party’s poor showing in the 2021 Assembly elections.
The LDF had soundly trounced RSP’s three candidates at the hustings. Shibu Baby John lost in Chavara, Babu Divakaran in Eravipuram and Ullas Kovoor in Kunnathur.
Following the defeat, Mr. John had applied for leave from the RSP for ‘personal reasons.’ He had also skipped the United Democratic Front (UDF) meeting to assess the poll defeat, adding more grist to the political rumour mill.
RSP State secretary A. A. Aziz, who chaired a meeting of the RSP State secretariat here, said an electoral defeat was no ground to leave the United Democratic Front (UDF). A plenary session of the party on August 9 would chart out RSP’s future course of action.
“Nobody could predict the future. The RSP is capable of handling any situation that warranted a shift in political alliances. It would act on its own and without any intermediary,” he said. The RSP had severed its links with the LDF in 2014.
According to sources, N. K. Premachandran, MP, was vehemently opposed to aligning the RSP with the LDF. He was reportedly highly critical of the electoral tactics of the CPI(M). He said the CPI(M) had forsaken secular values and brazenly sought the support of Hindutva and Islamist forces to win the elections.
Mr. John reportedly told the State secretariat that he had rescinded his leave application. He had applied for leave for purely personal reasons and not out of spite, as alleged in the media. Mr. John said that even in defeat, he would work to strengthen the RSP.
The RSP had met amidst reports that the LDF was poised to render the UDF shaky by exploiting the faultlines exposed by the poll debacle. It reportedly sent feelers to smaller parties in the UDF and tantalised them with the prospect of a berth in the LDF.
