Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | Cracks in LDF foundation since 2024 LS polls; requires complete rebuild: CPI(M) leader A M Ariff

Ariff also said that there was a failure on the party's side in opposing the alleged communal comments by Vellappally Natesan during the election period.

Alappuzha: CPI(M) leader A M Ariff on Thursday said that since the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, major cracks have developed in the foundation of the LDF, leading to the recent Assembly election loss and suggested a complete rebuild of the front and party from the ground up.

Ariff also said that there was a failure on the party's side in opposing the alleged communal comments by SNDP Yogam general secretary Vellappally Natesan during the election period.

Admitting that the Assembly poll outcome was a huge defeat for the LDF, the CPI(M) leader told a TV channel here that it was not for the first time, and the Left had come back to power after previous defeats.

He said that over the years, the alternate wins and losses never affected the foundation of the LDF.

"However, since the parliamentary elections of 2024, cracks have developed in the basic foundation of the LDF. That is the view of the party," Ariff, the CPI(M) candidate from the Aluva constituency, said.

He lost the battle in Aluva to Congress leader Anwar Sadath by a margin of 29,143 votes.

He further said that due to the successive terms in power, there was a huge onslaught of allegations against Pinarayi Vijayan.

But the party was not able to hit back in the same vein despite having all the best cyber systems, he said.

"Moreover, we too only focused on Pinarayi Vijayan. As more and more attacks came against him, only flex boards of Vijayan were seen, and it helped the opposition to shape their attacks," he said, adding that the LDF failed to defend against it properly.

Therefore, there is a need to deconstruct and rebuild the organisational setup of the LDF and the CPI(M) leading it, Ariff said.

"We need to understand how strong the rival is and take steps accordingly to counter them. Then only we can come back," he added.

Regarding the alleged communal remarks by Natesan, Ariff said that there was a view in the party that the SNDP leader was being protected and his comments were not being opposed.

"I think there were shortcomings in strongly opposing his remarks," he said.

The UDF won 102 out of the 140 seats in the Assembly polls, while the LDF got only 35 and three were taken by the BJP.