Thiruvananthapuram, May 6 In a development highlighting the growing churn within Kerala’s defeated Left camp, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has openly opposed the move to appoint former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the Leader of the Opposition.
The issue reportedly figured during a CPI leadership meeting, where senior party leaders argued that the post should go to a new face, holding Vijayan’s leadership style partly responsible for the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) electoral defeat.
The CPI is the second-largest constituent of the LDF, which has now moved to the Opposition benches after suffering a major setback in the Assembly elections.
The Left secured only 35 seats in the Assembly, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) winning 26 seats, the CPI eight, and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) one.
In contrast, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) returned to power with 102 seats, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opened its account in the Assembly with three seats.
Despite the scale of the defeat, Vijayan has so far remained silent and has neither addressed the media nor issued any statement on social media platforms.
His silence has fuelled speculation over whether he is willing to take up the role of Leader of the Opposition after serving as Chief Minister for a decade.
Within Left circles, discussions over the leadership issue are intensifying.
CPI leaders have indicated that unless Vijayan himself steps aside, there may be limited scope for an alternative arrangement.
However, if he declines the post, former Finance Minister and senior CPI-M leader K.N. Balagopal is emerging as a possible contender.
Adding to the pressure on Vijayan, former Left legislator Sebastian Paul earlier in the day publicly criticised his style of functioning and blamed him for the electoral rout.
An official decision on the issue is expected after the CPI-M state secretariat meeting.
At the same time, a section within the Left camp believes that with the ruling front enjoying an overwhelming majority, only a politically experienced and battle-tested leader would be capable of effectively taking on the government.
That argument, party insiders say, continues to keep Vijayan’s prospects alive despite growing resistance within the alliance.
Meanwhile, in a related development, CPI-M state secretary M.V. Govindan briefly addressed mediapersons and said the party would undertake a serious introspection exercise at all organisational levels following the electoral defeat.
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