Overview
- A CPI State Council review linked the LDF’s weaker local body showing to the political optics of Pinarayi Vijayan’s association with SNDP leader Vellappally Natesan and to a possible consolidation of Muslim votes against the front.
- CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam publicly rejected giving Natesan any role in judging the government, saying he would not allow him in his official car and that the LDF should not be identified with him.
- Vellappally Natesan countered by calling internal critics "betrayers," triggering a sharp exchange with Viswam over responsibility for the poll setback.
- Pinarayi Vijayan defended the much-criticised Pamba car trip with Natesan as an impromptu meeting with no political meaning.
- As a corrective step, the CPI announced a door-to-door outreach from January 15 to 30, while controversies like the Sabarimala gold case continue to strain the Left’s messaging.