Route Map of a Rout

By: Prem Udayabhanu


CPM’s rout in Kerala is a culmination of a decay that seeped into the party’s functional apparatus long ago. An endemic rot spread with alarming speed after the CPM got a repeat mandate in 2021, ironically facilitated by a pandemic.

Endemic indignation: Every incumbent government is bound to trigger resentment to an extent. The first Pinarayi dispensation would have been no exception, but the Covid-19-induced political climate swept away any traces of indignation by the electorate. The surge of a jubilant CPM to power for a second term culminated in a sense of entitlement among party functionaries, legislators, and ministers, leaving even the left sympathizers and CPM workers bitter.

A rookie cabinet: A bunch of novice ministers did not help the cause of a party touted as pro-poor. Barring three, including the CM, others were ensconced in a ministerial post for the first time. That inexperience resulted in a fragile decision-making process. The tentacles of a bureaucracy far removed from the layman’s meagre aspirations widened. The CM, embroiled in numerous battles in different domains, couldn’t devote time to act as a constitutional guiding force to steer inept colleagues.

The parasite ecosystem: Alongside the bureaucracy, a parasite ecosystem of media propagandists crept into the corridors of power. They were seen as beneficiaries of the administration’s largesse, as conclaves and mega-events took over as the face of the ruling dispensation. These embedded PR agents swarmed the social media with laudatory commentary.

The emboldened political administration did not hesitate to flaunt its ostentatious muscles with spectacular mega shows, including Loka Kerala Sabha. The ministerial entourage that crisscrossed all the 140 electoral constituencies as a preparatory exercise ahead of the 2024 Parliament elections did more harm. The tour de force turned out to be a debacle of sorts, alienating the common man warily watching from the sidelines of the political terrain.

The perception management debacle: Towards the end of the assembly’s tenure, the effort was to cash in on the “perceived goodwill” with a string of public relations gimmicks. Only that the perception of the propaganda machinery running through the jugular veins of the administration and the public at large was at a colossal divergence. A politically charged electorate was in no mood to lend a patient hearing to a whimsical chitchat between a film personality and the state’s top functionary. The bid to spruce up an image-building exercise akin to a reel story fell flat in popular imagination.

A spineless apparatus: The political backbone of CPM had long fallen idle, with the concentration of power firmly shifting to the secretariat. The premise of a party-govt coordination that reigned supreme during all the LDF regimes was given an unceremonious burial. With the demise of that course-correction mechanism, another devilish churn trickled down the party apparatus. The space for discussion in party fora was systematically erased, spurring deep resentment among even loyal cadres. Political approaches also faltered due to the lack of a functional organization.

Faltering course correction: CPM deciphered the Lok Sabha drubbing as the consequence of an exodus of a section of the majority community that traditionally backed it. The subtle course correction resorted to by some party leaders, invoking inflammatory language targeting perceived rivals of the majority, did not find popular resonance. Rather, it drove minorities en bloc toward the UDF, alienating an influential electoral constituency.

Mandrake’s wand: The CM’s patronizing approach to a backward community leader known as ‘Junior Mandrake’ acted as a magic wand in galvanizing the anti-govt forces. Nepotism related to the party’s candidate selection prompted even the sympathizers to decorate the coffin. The rout was a shoo-in.

(The author is a US-based journalist)

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