Former Kerala chief minister and CPM politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan has attributed the party’s defeat in its traditional stronghold of Payyannur to a concerted effort by political opponents and alleged lapses within the party leadership.

Speaking at a public meeting in Payyannur on Saturday, Pinarayi said the defeat was unexpected for the LDF and alleged that efforts by the party’s opponents had created confusion and suspicion among its traditional supporters.

His remarks differ from the CPM central committee’s assessment of the assembly election setback. The central committee had identified mistakes in candidate selection in Payyannur and Taliparamba, saying adequate care had not been taken while finalising the candidates.

Pinarayi, however, did not refer to the candidate-selection issue. Instead, he said the party had faced several campaigns and allegations in the past but had managed to overcome them without major electoral setbacks.

He alleged that some people holding leadership positions had developed links with political opponents and shared internal information with them. According to Pinarayi, this contributed to doubts among long-time CPM supporters and weakened the organisation.

He said the party had attempted to identify and rectify its mistakes but had failed to resolve the issues in Payyannur. Further mistakes were committed instead of effectively addressing the problems, he added.

Pinarayi also alleged that one person in a leadership position had deliberately worked to weaken the party and had become instrumental in helping its political opponents.

Referring to Payyannur MLA V Kunhikrishnan, Pinarayi alleged that he too had been used by the party’s opponents as part of the campaign that ultimately contributed to the CPM’s defeat in the constituency.