New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, July 14 (IANS) For the first time since the Left Democratic Front’s crushing defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections, the CPI-M national leadership has publicly acknowledged that mistakes were made in the party’s electoral strategy, particularly in the selection of candidates. Emerging from the party’s three-day Central Committee meeting in New Delhi, CPI-M General Secretary M.A. Baby on Tuesday stopped short of naming individuals but made it clear that the party wa…
Latest Kerala Assembly elections News & Updates
Thiruvananthapuram, June 23 (IANS) In a rare candid assessment from within the CPI-M leadership, Central Committee member K.K. Shailaja has described the party’s defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections as a serious setback and warned that the Left cannot ignore the organisational and political challenges that have emerged.In an article titled ‘A Comeback is Inevitable’ in the CPI-M’s ideological journal ‘Chintha’, Shailaja, a former state minister, said the defeat was not a routine elect…
Thiruvananthapuram, June 20 (IANS) A political storm erupted on Saturday over the Budget proposal allowing a lower tax structure for low-alcohol beverages, with former Kerala Excise Minister and CPI-M leader M.B. Rajesh attacking the move and the present Excise Minister M. Liju dismissing allegations of a new liquor policy. Reacting to Rajesh’s charges, Minister Liju said the Budget announcement by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan was only a financial exercise involving taxation of wine and liquor …
Kannur, June 12 (IANS) The unprecedented defeat suffered by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in two of its traditional strongholds in Kannur district in the recent Kerala Assembly elections has triggered an open revolt against party’s District Secretary K.K. Ragesh, exposing deep fissures within the party’s most influential organisational unit. Often described as the CPI-M’s most powerful district unit and the nerve centre of Kerala Communism, Kannur has rarely witnessed such public …
Thiruvananthapuram, May 21 (IANS) A telling image from Kerala’s Kannur railway station has come to symbolise the dramatic political fall of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the deep crisis engulfing his Communist Party of India-Marxist after its crushing Assembly election debacle.The photograph, now viral across social media, shows the once all-powerful former Chief Minister quietly waiting for a train alongside CPI-M leader K. K. Ragesh at Kannur station with only a handful of securit…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 19 (IANS) For the first time since the stunning electoral collapse of the Left Democratic Front in the Kerala Assembly elections, former Chief Minister and now Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan has publicly spoken about the defeat, and his carefully worded remarks come at a time when anger and rebellion are steadily building within the Communist Party of India (Marxist) itself. Addressing a party event in his hometown of Kannur on Tuesday, Vijayan said the Left governmen…
New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party over the delay in naming the next Chief Minister of Kerala, saying the party was trapped in “confusion” despite securing a massive electoral mandate in the state.Speaking to IANS, Poonawalla said, “Today I have brought binoculars because I am using them to look and see that it has been nine days. Where is the Chief Minister of Kerala? People voted saying they want a Chief…
Kochi, May 6 (IANS) In a stinging critique following the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) crushing defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections, former Left-supported lawmaker Sebastian Paul has squarely blamed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, calling the verdict a direct rejection of his leadership style.Paul, who has previously served both as a legislator and Lok Sabha member with Left backing, said the scale of the defeat reflects public anger not merely against governance but against Vijayan as an…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 5 (IANS) After a big win in the Assembly elections and trouncing the Left Front, the Congress party finds itself in the midst of an open contest for the top post, turning a predictable transition into a high-stakes race.In earlier decades, the question of leadership rarely invited prolonged uncertainty.When stalwarts like K. Karunakaran, A.K. Antony and Oommen Chandy rose to the Chief Minister’s office, the path was largely clear.Karunakaran went on to hold the post fou…
Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 (IANS) Celebrations began at the Congress headquarters in New Delhi and in Thiruvananthapuram on counting day as early trends in the Kerala Assembly elections indicated the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) ahead in 90 seats as of 11:30 p.m. Congress alone is leading on 57 seats.Supporters waving Congress flags gathered at the party’s Delhi office, celebrating to the beats of dhol as initial leads pointed towards a favourable outcome for the alliance.In Kerala, pa…