THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A pall of gloom has descended on the Kerala unit of the CPI(M) after it failed to meet expectations in the recently concluded local body elections, a contest the ruling Left had viewed as a springboard to set the narrative for an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Instead, the results have exposed vulnerabilities that the party can ill afford to ignore as the Assembly election cycle draws closer.
Known for its formidable organisational discipline -- often contrasted with the Congress’ faction-ridden structure -- the CPI(M) entered the polls confident that governance continuity under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, now nearing a decade in office, would translate into electoral consolidation.