Communist riot: Anger erupts in Kannur as CPM workers target party leadership

KANNUR: Anger is growing among CPM workers in Kannur, the home district of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state secretary M V Govindan, following the party’s poor election performance. Posters demanding the removal of state secretary M V Govindan and district secretary K K Ragesh have appeared across several CPM strongholds in the district.

The protests at the local level are reportedly happening with the silent support of some senior leaders in the district. The main demand from angry party workers is that the leadership, which they believe has embarrassed the party in public, should be changed. The open criticism has shocked the CPM leadership, especially because it surfaced in party strongholds like Dharmadom and Anthoor. While pictures of the posters spread widely on social media, many of them were later torn down.

Nearly one lakh votes lost In the 2021 Assembly election, the LDF won nine out of 11 seats in Kannur. This time, however, the alliance managed to win only six seats. In the eight constituencies contested by the CPM, the party had secured 6,77,606 votes in 2021. This time, the number dropped sharply to 5,92,820, a fall of 84,786 votes. Meanwhile, the UDF’s vote share rose from 4,09,888 to 5,54,591. Much of the CPM’s lost vote is believed to have shifted directly to the UDF. The biggest vote loss was recorded in Payyannur and Taliparamba, where CPM rebels contested as UDF-backed independent candidates and won. In Dharmadam too, the CPM vote count dropped from 95,522 to 85,614, highlighting the scale of the setback.

Backlash against K K Ragesh’s Facebook post A Facebook post by district secretary K K Ragesh explaining the reasons behind the defeat further angered party workers. His statement that the party had expected a “brilliant victory” triggered strong criticism from frustrated cadres.

Comments under the post said, “The time when party workers silently accepted circulars and explanations sent from above is over, comrade. Payyannur, Taliparamba, Mattannur and Dharmadom are shock treatments for you.” Similar reactions flooded the comment section.

Some party workers also alleged that Ragesh’s appointment itself was a result of favouritism by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. T I Madhusoodanan, the defeated LDF candidate in Payyannur, claimed in a Facebook post that he faced attacks from both inside and outside the party. In response, even CPM supporters commented that the defeat was “a lesson against arrogance.” Senior CPM leaders such as P Jayarajan and M V Jayarajan have also not completely rejected these criticisms.