Shamseer breaks silence on LDF defeat, targets Vijayan's campaign calls
Synopsis
For the first time since the LDF's electoral rout, a senior CPI(M) leader has gone on record naming specific failures — wrong candidates, a botched Vellappally embrace, an unaddressed Ayyappa Sangamam controversy. That the speaker is A.N. Shamseer, sidelined by Vijayan's own son-in-law appointment, makes this far more than routine self-criticism.
Key Takeaways
Former Kerala Assembly Speaker A.N.
Shamseer publicly listed reasons for the LDF 's defeat at a Kunjali Martyrs' Day event in Malappuram on 30 July .
He cited flawed candidate selection in Payyannur and Taliparamba , the Ayyappa Sangamam controversy, and the party's embrace of Vellappally Natesan as key missteps.
Shamseer said the LDF had expected a third consecutive term and was leading on postal votes before the results turned.
His remarks are widely interpreted as an indirect indictment of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan 's leadership decisions.
Shamseer was passed over for a Cabinet post in 2021 in favour of Vijayan's son-in-law P.A.
Mohammed Riyas , and was later dropped from his Thalassery constituency ahead of the latest polls.
Former Kerala Assembly Speaker A.N. Shamseer has publicly catalogued what he believes were the decisive missteps behind the Left Democratic Front (LDF)'s crushing loss in the Kerala Assembly elections, in remarks widely read within Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) circles as an indirect indictment of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's leadership. Speaking at the Kunjali Martyrs' Day commemoration at Kalikavu in Malappuram on 30 July, Shamseer delivered one of the most candid post-mortems yet offered by a senior party leader.
Key Admissions by Shamseer
Shamseer acknowledged three specific failures: the Left's inability to effectively counter Vellappally Natesan's criticism; flawed candidate selection in Payyannur and Taliparamba; and the twin missteps of the Ayyappa Sangamam controversy and the party's decision to politically embrace Natesan, both of which he conceded had backfired.
'Even we did not think we would lose like this. We were expecting a third consecutive term in office. When the postal votes were counted, we were leading. But after that, everything slipped away,' Shamseer said — a remarkably unguarded admission for a senior CPI(M) functionary.
The Vijayan Factor
Shamseer stopped short of naming Vijayan directly, but party insiders say his remarks squarely target decisions associated with the former Chief Minister — on campaign strategy, candidate selection, and political alliances. This comes amid a broader wall of public silence that has surrounded Vijayan's leadership since the LDF's electoral rout, making Shamseer's broadside the first visible crack in that silence.
A Personal Grievance in the Background
Shamseer's intervention carries added weight given his own strained history with the Vijayan dispensation. After winning a second consecutive term from Thalassery in 2021, he was widely regarded as a Cabinet contender. Instead, P.A. Mohammed Riyas — a first-time MLA and Vijayan's son-in-law — was inducted into the Cabinet and handed one of its most high-profile portfolios, a move that triggered resentment within sections of the party over perceived favouritism and nepotism.
Shamseer was subsequently accommodated as Speaker of the Kerala Assembly, but only after M.V. Govindan resigned as a minister to assume the CPI(M) state secretary's role — a reshuffle that saw then Speaker M.B. Rajesh enter the Cabinet. Party insiders say the Speakership fell short of Shamseer's ministerial ambitions. His disappointment reportedly deepened when the CPI(M) dropped him from Thalassery ahead of the latest elections, the constituency he had held for two consecutive terms.
What This Signals for the CPI(M)
Analysts note that Shamseer's unusually blunt assessment goes beyond routine self-criticism. It represents the first public challenge to the narrative that the LDF's defeat was the product of impersonal forces rather than specific leadership choices. Notably, this is the kind of internal reckoning that typically precedes a wider intra-party debate over succession and strategy. Whether other leaders now feel emboldened to follow suit could determine the pace and depth of the CPI(M)'s post-defeat reorganisation in Kerala.
Point of View
A misread alliance, an uncontained controversy — mirrors what many within the LDF privately acknowledge. The CPI(M)'s real test is whether it can separate legitimate post-defeat analysis from factional positioning, and whether Vijayan's successors will allow that process to be honest rather than managed.
NationPress
30 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did A.N. Shamseer say about the LDF's election defeat?
Shamseer publicly cited three key failures: the Left's inability to counter Vellappally Natesan's criticism, wrong candidate selection in Payyannur and Taliparamba, and the Ayyappa Sangamam controversy combined with the party's decision to politically embrace Natesan. He said the LDF had expected a third consecutive term but saw its lead evaporate after postal votes were counted.
Is Shamseer's criticism directed at Pinarayi Vijayan?
Shamseer did not name Vijayan directly, but party insiders widely interpret his remarks as an indirect indictment of decisions associated with the former Chief Minister's leadership on campaign strategy and candidate selection.
Why does Shamseer's personal history with Vijayan matter here?
After winning re-election from Thalassery in 2021, Shamseer was bypassed for a Cabinet post in favour of Vijayan's son-in-law P.A. Mohammed Riyas. He was later accommodated as Assembly Speaker and subsequently dropped from his own constituency ahead of the latest elections — a backdrop that colours how his public remarks are being received within the party.
What is the significance of these remarks for CPI(M) internal politics?
Shamseer's comments represent the first public break in the silence surrounding Vijayan's post-defeat leadership, and could embolden other leaders to openly question the decisions that shaped the campaign. It signals the beginning of a wider intra-party reckoning over strategy, candidate selection, and succession.
What was the Ayyappa Sangamam controversy?
The Ayyappa Sangamam was a religious outreach event whose association with the LDF's political strategy drew controversy during the election campaign. Shamseer acknowledged that the party's handling of the episode, along with its alliance overtures to Vellappally Natesan, had backfired electorally.
