For perhaps the first time in his six-decade public life, former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan finds himself politically cornered — not by opposition rivals, but by the very party machinery he once commanded with unquestioned authority. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]'s crushing electoral defeat in Kerala has set off an unprecedented wave of internal criticism, stretching from grassroots area committees all the way to the party's national leadership forums.

The Scale of the Backlash

Vijayan, who spent nearly a quarter century as the undisputed power centre of Kerala's CPI(M) and ran the state government for the past decade with an iron grip, is now confronting criticism on a scale rarely seen in the party's tightly disciplined history. Party members across levels have openly questioned his leadership style, public conduct, and the direction he gave the organisation.

Notably, what has particularly unsettled the Kerala leadership is the CPI(M) Central Committee's outright rejection of the state unit's claim that no anti-incumbency sentiment existed in Kerala. National leaders reportedly demanded an explanation for how the party could collapse so dramatically if public resentment against the government was absent.

Grassroots Anger Breaks Into the Open

The criticism has not stayed confined to party headquarters in New Delhi. At area committee meetings across Kerala, rank-and-file members have openly accused Vijayan's communication style and public remarks of alienating ordinary voters from the CPI(M). At the Chalakudy Area Committee, members reportedly stated that the former Chief Minister's words and approach actively distanced the electorate from the party.

Complaints also surfaced over candidate selection processes and the functioning of local leadership structures — issues that party workers say compounded the electoral damage.

Govindan Also in the Crosshairs

State secretary M.V. Govindan has not escaped scrutiny either. Party workers have complained that even committed cadre members found it difficult to comprehend his responses on sensitive political questions. However, within party circles, the growing consensus is that while Govindan shares responsibility, Vijayan remains the principal target of anger and frustration.

This comes amid a broader reckoning within the Left about whether its governance model in Kerala had drifted too far from its grassroots base — a question the Central Committee appears unwilling to let the state leadership sidestep.

The Cracking of an Aura

The same leader once regarded as politically invincible within the CPI(M) is now facing demands for sweeping organisational corrections from every tier of the party. Even as the leadership attempts damage control, one reality has become difficult to obscure: the aura of invincibility that long surrounded Pinarayi Vijayan has suffered its most significant crack to date.

How the CPI(M) manages this internal reckoning — and whether Vijayan retains any meaningful influence in shaping what comes next — will define the party's trajectory in Kerala for years ahead.