'Christian Votes Transferred To BJP, Muslims Consolidated Behind Congress': CPI(M) Analyses Reasons For Loss In Kerala

Kerala secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] M V Govindan expressed concerns over the Left Democratic Front (LDF) losing its voter base to the emerging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Fearing the transfer of the Hindu votes to the BJP, Govindan clarified that CPI(M) supports both believers and non-believers, as both have democratic rights and urged believers to stand against communalism.

"Temples should be managed by believers, not the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), which exploits faith for its own purposes," Govindan said asserting that they support places of worship to be under the control of the believers.

He also acknowledged that the INDI Alliance backfired for the CPI(M) in Kerala as the people voted for Congress considering it the "only party capable of defeating the BJP" and got confused with CPI(M) supporting Congress in other states.

He also accepted that the votes of the minorities got consolidated for the Congress as "they ultimately concluded that Congress was better equipped to address the current political threat, which is precisely what transpired in Kerala."

He also hinted at the influence of minority communal movements in Malabar by questioning how the United Democratic Front (UDF) managed to secure a majority of one lakh votes in Vadakara and Kozhikode.

Govindan attributed the UDF's success to mobilisation by women's wing of Jamaat-e-Islami and the consolidation of Muslim votes to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) fearing future implications, Asianet reported.

On BJP's Thrissur victory, he expressed surprise over the transfer of the Christian votes to the BJP as the community has been traditionally supporting the UDF. He asserted that voting patterns are shifting.