Thiruvananthapuram: The Communist Party of India's (CPI) demand for the deputy opposition leader post is escalating into a major crisis within the Left Democratic Front (LDF) as talks between senior functionaries of both parties failed to resolve the deadlock on Wednesday. Later, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said the failure to reach a consensus was not a sign of his party's weakness and that CPI did not consider the impasse an insult.
Background of the Dispute
On Tuesday, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) state secretary M V Govindan had almost publicly ruled out CPI's claim for the post. He stated that the CPM had held the opposition leader and deputy opposition leader posts for a long time and expressed confidence that the issue would be settled amicably. However, the talks on Wednesday failed to yield a breakthrough.
Electoral Performance and Bargaining Position
Most parties in the LDF suffered a significant setback in the recent assembly elections. The Kerala Congress (M), which had threatened CPI's position as the second-largest party in the LDF, failed to win a single seat. The CPM's tally fell to 26 seats from 62 in the 2021 elections, while CPI lost more than half of the seats it held in the previous assembly. CPI won eight seats against the 17 it had last time. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) was the only other constituent to win a seat. The LDF has 12 constituent parties, and nine of them failed to win any seats in the assembly elections. This backdrop prompts CPI to bargain for the deputy leader post.
Internal Reactions and Strains
CPI's move has not been well received by the CPM and a section within the CPI. The CPM views the demand as an attempt by CPI to assert its position by capitalizing on the political setback suffered by the LDF in the assembly elections. Many senior CPM functionaries consider CPI's bargaining as inappropriate and disconnected from CPI's own limited political strength. They believe CPI played a significant role in discrediting the second Pinarayi Vijayan government by trying to claim the moral high ground on a number of issues. A section of CPI functionaries feel that Viswam should not have taken the issue to the public, especially when the LDF is going through a weak phase.
Impact on LDF's Legislative Business
Because of the deadlock over CPI's claim for the deputy leader post, the LDF has not convened its joint legislative party meeting. CPI told the CPM that it would not attend the meeting until its claim for the deputy leader post is realized. The dispute over the post could further strain relations between the CPM and CPI, especially in the backdrop of the criticism directed at the CPM during CPI's party committee meetings that discussed the reasons for the LDF's electoral debacle.
About the Author: B S Anilkumar is a journalist with over two decades of demonstrated experience as a news reporter, political analyst, newsroom manager, and news coordinator of major events, including a number of elections and state budgets. Not one who moved straight from the classroom to the newsroom, Anil turned to journalism after spending half a dozen years in experimental theatre in Kerala, as an actor, writer, and coordinator, traveling across the state and outside and interacting with luminaries and contemporaries in the field. He has translated two plays: The Royal Hunt of the Sun and The Lovers. He writes in all formats, short and long, and focuses mainly on politics, education, and power sectors, besides finance, culture, and theatre. Currently, he works as deputy metro editor at The Times of India, Thiruvananthapuram bureau in Kerala.
