Leader of the Opposition in the Keralam Assembly Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday (Augut 31, 2026) accused former leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and Independent MLA T.K. Govindan of betraying the CPI(M) and contributing to its defeat in the Taliparamba Assembly constituency in the recent Assembly elections.
Mr. Vijayan was addressing a rally organised by the CPI(M) at Taliparamba to explain the party’s stand following its defeat in the constituency.
Mr. T.K. Govindan had left the party following differences over the decision to field CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan’s wife and CPI(M) leader P.K. Shyamala as the party candidate in Taliparamba.
He later contested as an Independent candidate with the support of the United Democratic Front (UDF) and emerged victorious in the constituency, considered a CPI(M) stronghold.
Mr. Vijayan said the Left Democratic Front (LDF)’s vote share had declined by more than 11% compared to the previous election, leading to its defeat. “The reason for our defeat is that we lost more than 11% votes compared to the ones we received in 2021. This is what led to the defeat,” he said.
Mr. Vijayan said the candidacy of Mr. T.K. Govindan, whom he accused of taking a stand that amounted to betraying the party, had resulted in some votes shifting away from the LDF.
“The opponent who contested here was T.K. Govindan, who became a candidate by taking a stand of betraying the party. When T.K. Govindan came as a candidate, it can be seen that following that candidacy, a few votes were lost from the LDF,” he said.
He said it was unfortunate that some people who had supported the CPI(M) at various stages had taken a different stand in the election. “The fact that a lot of people who stood with the CPI(M) at all stages thought differently at this stage was something that should not have happened. Only if a mistake is recognised as a mistake can it be corrected. Those who took such a stance should conduct proper introspection regarding that matter,” Mr. Vijayan said.
Govindan’s reaction
Addressing a meeting, Mr. T.K. Govindan alleged that the CPI(M) leadership was destroying the party in pursuit of its own interests. “The leadership is destroying this party for your own selfish interests. To you, the party is not what matters most; your other spin-off deals are what matter to you. Those need to be protected. That is why you are destroying the party,” he said.
Mr. T.K. Govindan questioned whether the party leadership was impartially examining the reasons for the CPI(M)’s decline. “However, are you impartially examining why the party has fallen into such a state? If you attack V. Kunhikrishnan (Payyannur MLA) and me, will this party be saved?” he asked.
Referring to the killing of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T.P. Chandrasekharan, who was allegedly hacked to death by CPI(M) activists in 2012, Mr. T.K. Govindan questioned whether his elimination had strengthened the party. Chandrasekharan was a CPI(M) leader who formed the RMP after leaving the party.
Published – September 01, 2026 12:51 am IST
