New Delhi: The CPI(M) is not happy with its performance in the Lok Sabha elections despite a slight increase in the number of seats and will do a serious introspection on how to bridge the gap between its ability to launch a struggle on the ground. And this is its strength to win seats, party leader Sitaram Yechury has said.
In an interview with PTI, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that there is some disappointment in the party because despite Left organizations leading several mass struggles, its impact was not reflected in its electoral performance.
Asked about the entry of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala, the only state currently ruled by the Left, Yechury said the vote share of the Left is intact, but some votes of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have gone to saffron. Have shifted towards the party. .In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Left parties increased their strength in the Lok Sabha to eight, from five in the 17th Lok Sabha.The CPI(M) won four seats, while the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation won two seats each.
"The Left has marginally increased its presence in the Lok Sabha, but we are not happy. In fact, we are a bit disappointed that despite all the struggle led by the Left, we could not really capitalize on it as an electoral performance ,” Yechury said. “There is a need for a serious introspection.We will do so and make necessary reforms so as to reduce the mismatch between the Left's ability and determination to initiate and sustain people's struggles and its electoral performance in the days to come."
He said the party's politburo has decided that the struggle will be intensified on people's livelihood issues, such as the struggle of farmers, the struggle of youth for employment, issues around the education system and the recent concerns around NEET examinations.
"These are the struggles that will happen both inside and outside Parliament," he said. The Left parties had their worst performance in six decades in 2019, when the CPI(M) got 1.75 per cent vote share, while the CPI A little more than half percent of the votes were received. According to ECI website data, this time the vote share of CPI (M) was around 1.76 per cent, while CPI got 0.50 per cent vote share and CPI (ML) Liberation got 0.27 per cent votes.Asked about the victory of BJP's Suresh Gopi from Thrissur seat in Kerala, where the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front is in power, he said the BJP dented the UDF votes.
“It was the UDF vote, mainly the vote of Congress candidates, which slipped and shifted to the BJP,” Yechury said. “Now, this is very worrying. If the Congress base is moving towards the BJP, then it "It is a matter of grave concern not only for Kerala but elsewhere in the country. So, I hope this is something that will be arrested and controlled for the sake of our country," he said.According to ECI data, BJP got 16.68 percent votes in Kerala in the 2024 general elections, whereas in 2019 they got about 12.9 percent votes.
In 2019, Congress' vote share was 37.45 percent, while in 2024 they got 35 percent votes in the state. CPI(M) got 25.9 per cent votes in 2019 and 25.82 per cent votes in 2024. The Communist Party of India also maintained around six per cent vote share in both the 2019 and 2024 elections.
Of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, BJP and CPI(M) won one seat each, while UDF won the remaining 18 seats, while Congress won 14 seats.
According to Yechury, BJP's attempts to create communal polarization in the latest elections failed and its loss from the Faizabad seat in Ayodhya, where the Ram temple is located, is the biggest example of this. “Undoubtedly, this polarization has wreaked havoc on our society, our people and the country. Has wreaked havoc... But despite this fact, the sitting BJP MP from Faizabad, where Ayodhya is located, lost the election... a clear indication that the temple which they were hoping would be their big achievement will not work,'' he said.
He said, “Similarly, Article 370 in Kashmir, saying that by removing it Kashmir has been integrated into India… they lost in Kashmir.They could not succeed in winning any seat in Kashmir."
Yechury said, "So, this agenda that he presented has suffered a blow... but it is mainly because of the attacks on the Constitution and the attacks on the livelihood of the people." Things combined to give people the power to vote the way they did."
In an interview with PTI, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that there is some disappointment in the party because despite Left organizations leading several mass struggles, its impact was not reflected in its electoral performance.
Asked about the entry of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala, the only state currently ruled by the Left, Yechury said the vote share of the Left is intact, but some votes of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have gone to saffron. Have shifted towards the party. .In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the Left parties increased their strength in the Lok Sabha to eight, from five in the 17th Lok Sabha.The CPI(M) won four seats, while the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation won two seats each.
"The Left has marginally increased its presence in the Lok Sabha, but we are not happy. In fact, we are a bit disappointed that despite all the struggle led by the Left, we could not really capitalize on it as an electoral performance ,” Yechury said. “There is a need for a serious introspection.We will do so and make necessary reforms so as to reduce the mismatch between the Left's ability and determination to initiate and sustain people's struggles and its electoral performance in the days to come."
He said the party's politburo has decided that the struggle will be intensified on people's livelihood issues, such as the struggle of farmers, the struggle of youth for employment, issues around the education system and the recent concerns around NEET examinations.
"These are the struggles that will happen both inside and outside Parliament," he said. The Left parties had their worst performance in six decades in 2019, when the CPI(M) got 1.75 per cent vote share, while the CPI A little more than half percent of the votes were received. According to ECI website data, this time the vote share of CPI (M) was around 1.76 per cent, while CPI got 0.50 per cent vote share and CPI (ML) Liberation got 0.27 per cent votes.Asked about the victory of BJP's Suresh Gopi from Thrissur seat in Kerala, where the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front is in power, he said the BJP dented the UDF votes.
“It was the UDF vote, mainly the vote of Congress candidates, which slipped and shifted to the BJP,” Yechury said. “Now, this is very worrying. If the Congress base is moving towards the BJP, then it "It is a matter of grave concern not only for Kerala but elsewhere in the country. So, I hope this is something that will be arrested and controlled for the sake of our country," he said.According to ECI data, BJP got 16.68 percent votes in Kerala in the 2024 general elections, whereas in 2019 they got about 12.9 percent votes.
In 2019, Congress' vote share was 37.45 percent, while in 2024 they got 35 percent votes in the state. CPI(M) got 25.9 per cent votes in 2019 and 25.82 per cent votes in 2024. The Communist Party of India also maintained around six per cent vote share in both the 2019 and 2024 elections.
Of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, BJP and CPI(M) won one seat each, while UDF won the remaining 18 seats, while Congress won 14 seats.
According to Yechury, BJP's attempts to create communal polarization in the latest elections failed and its loss from the Faizabad seat in Ayodhya, where the Ram temple is located, is the biggest example of this. “Undoubtedly, this polarization has wreaked havoc on our society, our people and the country. Has wreaked havoc... But despite this fact, the sitting BJP MP from Faizabad, where Ayodhya is located, lost the election... a clear indication that the temple which they were hoping would be their big achievement will not work,'' he said.
He said, “Similarly, Article 370 in Kashmir, saying that by removing it Kashmir has been integrated into India… they lost in Kashmir.They could not succeed in winning any seat in Kashmir."
Yechury said, "So, this agenda that he presented has suffered a blow... but it is mainly because of the attacks on the Constitution and the attacks on the livelihood of the people." Things combined to give people the power to vote the way they did."
