Pinarayi accuses Kunhikrishnan of joining hands with CPI(M)’s rivals to defeat party in Payyanur
Leader of the Opposition says the party’s defeat in the constituency in the Assembly election could not be explained merely by factors within Keralam, as the CPI(M) and the LDF traditionally enjoyed strong support there
Kerala's Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, accused Independent MLA V. Kunhikrishnan of collaborating with opponents of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and working against the party. Vijayan made these allegations during a CPI(M) program aimed at explaining the party's reasoning behind its defeat in the Payyannur Assembly constituency in the recent election.
Kunhikrishnan, a former CPI(M) leader, had accused party leaders of corruption before being expelled and subsequently contested the seat as an Independent candidate backed by the United Democratic Front (UDF), winning the position. Despite traditionally strong support for the CPI(M) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Payyannur, the party's defeat could not be attributed solely to local factors, as Vijayan stated.
The party's vote share had dropped significantly from over 62% in 2021 to around 44% in the most recent election, and the major concern was the leakage of the votes it had previously secured. Around 18% of people who had previously stood with the party did not align with it in the current election, which Vijayan considered a serious matter.
He accused Kunhikrishnan of being "an axe-handle in the hands of the enemy," stating that his actions were aimed at damaging the party rather than helping it. Vijayan also criticized the UDF government, alleging a nexus with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and citing issues such as PM SHRI and the appointment of members to the Waqf Board.
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