A worker puts up an election campaign banner of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: PTI Photo
Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen Chandy was a politician who earned the affection of not only his constituents but also the entire state. Following his demise on July 18, he gained unprecedented and widespread reverence.
If this sentiment was any indication, the outcome of the Puthuppally bypoll held on September 5, prompted by Oommen Chandy's demise, was a foregone conclusion. However, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M))-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) insisted that the bypoll would be a political contest. For these factors the bypoll result is important, and a warning, as clear as it can get, for the ruling party.
CPI(M)’s detestable attacks
The LDF’s ill-treatment towards Oommen Chandy, both in his professional capacity as Chief Minister between 2011 and 2016 and at a personal level, remains unparalleled in Kerala's political history.
These attacks continued even during the bypoll, where LDF leaders were quick to dismiss the late Chief Minister’s contributions. Political opponents in cyberspace launched attacks on Oommen Chandy’s children — Chandy Oommen who was the Congress’ bypoll candidate, and Achu Oommen, the late CM’s daughter.
If this was indeed a political battle, the election result would serve as a reflection of the public's sentiments regarding these allegations.
CPI(M)’s feeble and ineffective defence
Oommen Chandy served as Puthuppally's MLA for an impressive 53 years. However, in his very first electoral campaign, his son surpassed the father's highest-ever margin of victory. The CPI(M) could have shown magnanimity by gracefully accepting defeat and moving ahead; but, the same party, which projected the bypoll as a referendum of the state government’s ‘development-based politics’, explained its humiliating defeat as a ‘wave of sympathy’ favouring the Congress. CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan's assertion that the bypoll result does not serve as a warning to the state government does not bode well for the Left’s electoral prospects in the 2024 general elections.
The CPI(M)’s assertion that its voter base is intact when the votes polled by its candidate have gone down by ~12,000, and attempts to shift the blame on phantom causes, is laughable. It fails to address why the party has been unable to expand beyond its core support base, and consistently struggles to attract voters from other demographic segments — despite controlling six of the eight panchayats in the assembly constituency.
Chandy Oommen’s victory, despite the LDF deploying all its resources in Puthuppally, speaks volumes about what the people (at least of that constituency, if not across Kerala) think of not only Oommen Chandy, but also of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Breaking that norm
The CPI(M) is no longer the party that once stood for the rights of the impoverished and marginalised. Today it is entangled in numerous controversies, corruption allegations, governance deficiencies, and an autocratic disposition. The party traditionally distanced itself from allegations involving the relatives of its leaders. However, breaking that norm, the CPI(M)’s Kerala unit is desperately defending Vijayan’s daughter against whom charges of nepotism and undue advantages have been outlined by the Income Tax department’s Interim Settlement Board. In normal circumstances, such a mention in an official order would warrant the resignation of the Chief Minister.
The first Vijayan government (2016-2021) was forced to abandon several projects due to corruption allegations. There are indications of this trend continuing into the second term, with the government embroiled in controversies surrounding contracts awarded for some of its flagship projects, including the procurement of artificial intelligence-driven traffic surveillance cameras, issues related to the state's Internet project, misappropriations in the housing project, and allegations of money laundering in co-operative banks.
In none of these instances has the party dispelled the doubts and concerns of the public by providing coherent explanations. Instead, what’s on display is the Left’s arrogance when asked about these allegations against the government. The CPI(M)’s reputation in Kerala has now been reduced to the point where it appears to be primarily supporting the state’s first family, disregarding the moral high ground and virtues that the public once associated with it.
Conclusion
The bypoll result draws attention to the striking dissimilarity in the characteristics of Oommen Chandy and Pinarayi Vijayan. Oommen Chandy was a Chief Minister who remained consistently approachable. He never evaded allegations; instead, he confronted them with resilience, and emerged unscathed. In contrast, the incumbent has maintained a 200-day silence concerning allegations against his government, and more critically, regarding the findings of a quasi-judicial body against him and his daughter.
The message from the electorate is unambiguous — the buck must stop with Vijayan.
(Sreejith Panickar is a political commentator.)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.