Pathanamthitta/ Ernakulam: The CPM district committees in Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam on Sunday criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, attributing the LDF's heavy loss in the Lok Sabha election to his arrogance and negative public image.
The CPM-led LDF could only match the one seat it secured in the 2019 polls while the Congress-led UDF won 18 seats and the BJP opened its account in Kerala by winning the Thrissur constituency.

"The CM exhibits impolite behaviour even towards a microphone and his conduct is not befitting of a communist," the Pathanamthitta district committee observed. It further alleged that several leaders attempted to sabotage Thomas Isaac, the party's candidate in the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha constituency. "Many party workers reportedly distanced themselves from Isaac's campaign activities, resulting in the LDF losing around 30,000 votes in the constituency," the committee noted. Congress' Anto Antony won the seat by 66,119 votes.

The district committee also criticised the private secretaries of state ministers, claiming that government officials, rather than the CPM, are effectively in control of the administration. "People believe that the CPM is in power, but in reality, it is the officials who are ruling. They even lack respect for party leaders," the committee noted. It also warned that if the party does not correct its course before the upcoming local body elections, it will face strong opposition from the voters.

Meanwhile, in Ernakulam, the district committee noted that Pinarayi failed to emulate the model set by Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in handling criticism against leaders' children. The committee was referring to the allegations against the Chief Minister’s daughter, Veena T, to which the CM has remained silent.
In contrast, when allegations surfaced against Kodiyeri's children, he promptly clarified that neither he nor the party was involved, the committee noted. “The CPM suffered a significant loss in the Lok Sabha polls due to the CM’s silence on the allegations against his daughter," said the committee.