Expect no major shake-up in CPM

The Central Committee, the highest decision making body of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), will meet on June 7 and 8 to evaluate the Lok Sabha election results. 

However, the party is yet to give any indication of big changes. Yet, some organisational changes and a re-orientation of political line is certainly in the offing.  The drubbing has certainly upset the party and there are talks of changes at all levels.

However, the leadership is not ready to entirely own up the responsibility is clear from the reviews of election results done by the state units of West Bengal and Kerala, the two bastions of the party.   

The divergence in opinion between Kerala and West Bengal on the outcome of poll results is too sharp to reach to a decision that would lead to big changes at the top level. It only indicates that such changes are being resisted.  However, there is likelihood of some changes at least in the organisational structure of West Bengal. 

The Kerala unit is not repenting at all. On the contrary, it has claimed “no erosion in the LDF’s mass base.” It conveniently ignored the fact that the percentage share of its votes has reduced. It has also dismissed the saffron upsurge saying that a “concerted effort is being made to exaggerate the vote share of BJP whose votes have been purchased in every election.”

“In this election, there was an attempt to purchase its votes for the UDF (the United Democratic Front), but RSS intervened to stop this vote trade in many constituencies,” the state unit said. 

However, the West Bengal unit has admitted to failure. “Review report and the discussions have identified both political and organisational reasons of Left Front’s unexpected setback,” it said.

“We will critically process the political and organisational issues and take all necessary measures within the framework of the party,” CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat assured the state committee  on Monday. The party seems to be contemplating changes, but on a slow speed.