Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) suffered defeat in the Kerala Assembly elections, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday sharply criticised the CPM, calling Marxist ideology "outdated" and blaming the Left alliance's loss on its failure to articulate an economic vision for Kerala.

Chandrasekhar's Critique of Marxist Ideology

Speaking to IANS, Chandrasekhar drew a direct parallel between the CPM's performance in Kerala and the party's declining fortunes in Tripura and West Bengal. "The story of the CPM that is playing out in Kerala is what has happened in Tripura and in West Bengal. The Marxist ideology is an outdated ideology. It does not have an economic vision," he said.

He further argued that Marxist ideology is structurally incapable of generating employment. Pointing to global precedents, Chandrasekhar noted, "Whether it's Russia, whether it's China, whether it is Vietnam, all of these countries were original Marxist countries, but they've all embraced free markets and capitalism and private sector investments and private enterprise and entrepreneurship."

Allegations Against CPM's Decade in Power

Chandrasekhar alleged that the CPM, which governed Kerala — described by him as the party's "last government in the country" — had been a party "without any vision," leaving residents to "suffer" for 10 years. "All they gave were corruption, appeasement, and exploitation of temples, so the people decided to throw them out," he charged.

He also attributed the scale of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)'s win to a strong "anti-CPM wave" across the state. The UDF secured a decisive victory with 102 seats in the 140-seat Kerala Assembly.

BJP's Historic Three-Seat Win in Kerala

Despite the anti-incumbency wave favouring the Congress, the BJP managed to win three Assembly seats — a historic first for the party in Kerala. Chandrasekhar himself won from the Nemom constituency. "We have withstood this wave and the momentum that the Congress has got, and we have elected three MLAs to the Assembly," he said.

Calling the result "historic," Chandrasekhar credited the party's grassroots machinery. "Three MLAs have won, and they're going to the Assembly. But most important for all of us are the party workers who have made all these wins possible. It is the sheer hard work of hundreds and thousands of our party workers," he said.

What This Means for Kerala Politics

The BJP's three-seat tally, while modest, marks a meaningful foothold in a state long dominated by the Left and the Congress. Analysts note that the party's gains — concentrated in southern Kerala — reflect a gradual consolidation of the Hindu voter base. This comes amid a broader national BJP strategy to expand its presence in states where it has historically been marginal. The party's next challenge will be to leverage its Assembly presence to build organisational depth ahead of future electoral cycles in the state.