Alappuzha: Alappuzha, a citadel of the CPI(M) is witnessing a major internal strife with senior leaders of the party and a section of cadres questioning the party’s functioning in the past few years. The recent startling revelations made by G Sudhakaran, one of the most senior leaders and the rebuttal from the party’s district secretary indicate that all is certainly not well in the party.
The results of the recent Loksabha elections in the constituency where CPI(M) votes witnessed a considerable shrinkage with vote share dipping from its party strongholds with a large section of Ezhava (a prominent OBC community that traditionally vote for CPI(M) from the 1970s) votes shifting towards BJP and the Congress has led to serious introspection within the party leaders and cadres.
The CPI(M) vote share shrunk from 40.92 percent in 2019 elections to 32.96 percent in 2024 elections, where in the BJP vote share rose from 17.4 percentage in 2019 polls to 28.9 percentage in 2024 elections. A close analysis show that the traditional communist votes from its strongholds have shifted towards the BJP – a major shock to the party that has been the most critical against the BJP and the RSS throughout its campaigning.
Adding to the woes was the face-off between two leaders of the CPM – G Sudhakaran and H Salam over the recent electoral performances of the party.
Sudhakaran’s startling comments on the party’s failure in the Lok Sabha election and the style of functioning of leaders had put the CPM in the dock.
G Sudhakaran has openly lashed out at the party’s performance and its inability to take all sections into confidence which he cited as the primary reason for the party’s dismal performance. The senior leader has said that political criminals were working against him in the party.
Replying to him, Salam said, “Political criminalism also includes giving weapons to opponents while sticking to a particular ideology. Sudhakaran is supporting opponents while sticking to an ideology. It is also political criminalism”.
The discontentment and anger among the party workers have begun from 2022 where there have been widespread complaints of linkage of local CPM leadership with the SDPI, a radical Islamic outfit.
It was in March 2023 that 38 CPM members have resigned from the Cheriyanad local committee of the party following the alleged link of the local committee secretary with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).
38 members, including four branch secretaries, submitted their resignation letters to the state leadership alleging local secretary Sheed Mohammed’s links with the SDPI. The matter was taken up by the media following which the Alappuzha CPI(M) leadership tried to pacify its members to rethink on their decision.
“One of the reasons why Ezhava votes shifted towards the BJP is due to the open Muslim appeasement followed by the CPI(M) leadership. Even a section of the Christian community who were earlier loyal to the party changed their preference”, said Ravi Shankar, a CPI(M) loyalist in Haripad.
The Alappuzha parliament constituency meeting that took place two days ago has warned the party leadership that if it continues to ignore the core working-class, the foundation of the party will be further weakened and will lead to total decline of the party. The members who took part in the meeting representing each assembly constituency warned the leadership regarding the erosion of the traditional votes in most of the constituencies and the growing disenchantment among the party workers.
Alappuzha, a citadel of the CPI(M) is witnessing a major internal strife with senior leaders of the party and a section of cadres questioning the party’s functioning in the past few years. Kerala States News India: Top News India, States News, States News Headlines, Online State News India, State Politics news
