Fears on this count have surfaced because of an unwarranted and ill-thought out debate on who would lead the LDF if it wins the assembly elections due in May next year.

What triggered the debate were remarks of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury that there was no retirement age in the CPI(M) and it applied to leader of the Opposition V. S. Achuthanandan too. Yechury’s statement was construed as the green signal for VS to not only contest the assembly elections but also lead the LDF and become the Chief Minister if the front wins the polls.

Enthusiastic support for VS leading the front from CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran and CPI leader, C. Divakaran further enlivened the debate. Kanam had said that it would be good for the LDF if VS leads it. But he also qualified his statement with the rider that it was strictly for the CPI(M) to decide who would lead the front.

However, both CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and former state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan have made it clear that a debate at this stage on the issue was premature. The issue would be discussed only after the elections are over and if the LDF comes out victorious in the crucial assembly elections.

That was the right approach, which has quelled speculation on that count. After all, the most important thing right now is to formulate strategies on winning the assembly polls. Diverting attention from that paramount task would only be self-defeating. LDF leaders have realized the need to avoid expending energies on other issues. Hence the call to halt the debate on who would lead the front.

VS himself has discouraged the debate with a pithy remark that the issue would be decided by the people and the party and that he would abide by their decision! The order of preference – people and the party – has not been missed by keen observers of the Kerala political scene. It is well known that VS’s tremendous popularity among the people is not matched by the support from party MLAs, an overwhelming majority of whom would back Pinarayi Vijayan. The reason is simple: Kodiyeri and Pinarayi would be calling the shots in deciding the party candidates for the elections!

Having said that, there is no denying the fact that the most significant feature – and a welcome relief for the party cadres – of the local bodies poll campaign has been the united campaign by the CPI(M). For a change, both VS and Pinarayi pulled in the same direction instead of in opposing directions which was the norm in previous elections. The newfound unity had a positive bearing on the LDF’s election campaign, and resulted in handsome dividends for the front.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance for the CPI(M) leadership to ensure that both VS and Vijayan move in step with the spirit of teamwork in the campaign for the assembly elections as well. It would do the LDF immense good if the duo make a joint appearance in public meetings and campaigns. That would be a masterstroke which would silence the detractors both within and outside.

The LDF – and the CPI(M) in particular - must not allow itself to be lulled into a false sense of complacency. True, the party and the front are entitled to a celebration of the victory after a string of poll defeats. But the celebrations must be tempered by the realization that the difference between the LDF and the UDF is only 24,000 votes.

In other words, the task is cut out for the CPI(M). There are weak spots which need to be attended to forthwith. For instance, the LDF will have to address itself to the task of regaining ground lost in districts like Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Kasargod, where the BJP has gained considerable ground at the expense of both the LDF and the UDF. That the BJP has bagged 35 seats in the 100-atrong Thiruvananthapuram Corporation – as against the CPI(M)’s tally of 42 - must cause utmost concern for the leadership of the CPI(M). It cannot afford to take refuge in the argument that this time around, the BJP had sliced away a bigger chunk of the UDF votes. The same is the situation in Palakkad, where the BJP has made history of sorts by securing control of the municipality. The same is the situation in Kasargod, a district where the BJP has made deep inroads into the vote bases of both the UDF and the LDF.

Post-election postmortem reveals that the BJP has secured an impressive 26, 31, 271 votes as against the LDF’s 74,01,160 votes and the UDF’s 73,76,752 votes. The BJP has gained a vote share of 13 per cent in the rural areas and 15 per cent in the urban areas.

The statistics are self-explanatory. The lesson the LDF must draw from the result of the local bodies polls is this. While it can feel good on winning an election after a slew of losses, there is no room for overconfidence and complacency. Victory in the ‘final’ would demand greater efforts and preparedness from the LDF. (IPA Service)