CPM central committee stressed that a genuine review should emerge from the grassroots, without obstruction from mid-level leadership.

After the disastrous results in the Lok Sabha election, the CPM’s central committee meeting began on Friday and concluded on Sunday. Sources indicated that the CPM leadership believes that merely reviewing the ‘pathetic’ defeat within the party’s confines is insufficient. They need to step out of their comfort zone and listen attentively to critics. In his concluding speech, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury reportedly mentioned that accurate reports from the grassroots are not reaching the party. There is a significant disparity between the actual situation and the reports received on organization and election matters. To bridge this gap, the party decided to expand its review circle.

Typically, a press release summarizing the discussions is issued by the A K Gopalan Bhavan after the CPM’s central committee meeting. A politburo member indicated that this statement would be released on Monday. The CPM has also announced that its Party Congress will be held as scheduled in April next year, although the date and location have not been finalized in this central committee meeting.

The central committee emphasized that criticizing the party often leads to individuals being labelled as opponents. This tendency must be abandoned to ensure accurate diagnosis of issues. The West Bengal CPM has already decided to widen its review scope, and the central committee has adopted this model, instructing central leaders to participate in reviews at state and district levels.

The CPM expressed deep concern over the electoral debacle in Kerala, where the ruling party’s vote share has dropped by 10 per cent within three years of winning the 2021 Assembly elections. Kerala leaders attributed the vote decline to the party’s proximity to the Congress at the national level, a view not entirely accepted by central committee members from other states. A central committee leader remarked, “The four seats the party won in the recent Lok Sabha election include two from Tamil Nadu and one from Rajasthan, which would not have been possible without an understanding with parties like Congress and DMK in those states.” Overall, the central committee stressed that a genuine review should emerge from the grassroots, without obstruction from mid-level leadership.