After losing 19 out of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala to the UDF, CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that the Left respects the decision of the people of Kerala.
“This is an unexpected situation, but it is only temporary. The Left has faced failures before also. In the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, we did not win any seats, but we came back. Again in 1984, we had a major setback but in 1987, we overcame all those obstacles. So this is also temporary,” said Kodiyeri.
He added that Kerala has witnessed a Congress wave in 2019 just as it had witnessed a Left wave in 2004.
“We will check things in detail and if there is anything to be rectified, we will do that,”’ said the chief of the Left in the state.
Kodiyeri also made it clear that though the Congress has swept Kerala, the Left is not happy over the grand old party's dismal performance at the Centre.
“At the Centre, secular parties have received a setback. This is a signal that the country is heading towards disaster and we are greatly pained by that,” Kodiyeri said.
When asked about the LDF losing in traditional Left bastions like Palakkad and Kasaragod, Kodiyeri said that the party will look into it.
“But it is definitely not because of any factionalism in the party,” he asserted.
The Left has suffered big losses in Palakkad, Alathur, Kasaragod and other constituencies where it has usually performed well. In Palakkad, the UDF has come to power after beating two time MP MB Rajesh. In Alathur, which has never had a non-Left MP, the UDF's Remya Haridas has walked away with the honours.