The CPM has begun a leadership and organisational overhaul in Kerala following its disappointing electoral performance, responding to growing dissatisfaction with the state party unit. While M V Govindan has been censured over the poll results, former chief minister and prominent LDF campaigner Pinarayi Vijayan has not faced any disciplinary action.

At the conclusion of the CPM’s three-day extended state committee meeting in Kozhikode, the party reshuffled its state secretariat, inducting three prominent leaders: veteran Kannur leader P Jayarajan, former minister M B Rajesh and senior Thiruvananthapuram leader V Sivankutty.

The restructuring also saw the exit of central committee member T M Thomas Isaac and LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan from the state secretariat, in line with the party’s age limit of 75. The changes come amid increased involvement from the CPM’s central leadership in decisions concerning the Kerala unit.

Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas, who is an invitee to the central committee, has also been brought into the state secretariat. Susan Kody, a senior leader from Kollam who had earlier lost her place in the state committee amid factional tensions in Karunagappally, has also been reinstated.

The party has simultaneously sought to bring younger and emerging leaders into its organisational structure. Nine leaders have been appointed as invitees to the state committee, including SFI national president Adarsh M Saji, state secretary P S Sanjeev, president V Shivaprasad, DYFI national leader Jaick C Thomas, state secretary M Vijin and women leaders N Sukanya, O S Ambika and Subaida Ishaq. Poet Prabha Varma has also been included.

Jayarajan’s return to the state secretariat marks a notable change after years of being kept outside the party’s top decision-making body. The veteran Kannur leader has retained considerable support among the CPM cadre, and his induction comes after the party suffered a significant setback in its traditional stronghold.

Rajesh’s elevation also marks a delayed entry into the state secretariat. His name had been discussed previously, including during the 2025 state conference, but he was not selected. His contemporaries K N Balagopal and P Rajeeve had meanwhile advanced into key organisational positions, along with younger leaders such as M Swaraj and Mohamed Riyaz.

Sivankutty’s induction strengthens the representation of Thiruvananthapuram in the top leadership. The former minister and current CITU state secretary is regarded as a prominent mass leader in the capital and had previously been left out despite the induction of younger leaders.

Govindan will remain CPM state secretary despite facing criticism over the electoral setback. The party has also decided against replacing Pinarayi Vijayan in the immediate term, despite internal demands for changes at the top. Vijayan’s ongoing Enforcement Directorate investigation is also being viewed within the party as a factor in retaining him in the current arrangement.

Alongside the organisational changes, the CPM has outlined further political and campaign measures focusing on central investigative agencies, communal politics and issues concerning both the state and Union governments.