Kerala Polls: Pinarayi Vijayan Set to Lead LDF Campaign for Third Consecutive Term

Thiruvananthapuram: The party has confirmed it. For the third consecutive Assembly election, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala will be led by CPI(M) stalwart and incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

It was just a formality for the CPI(M) politburo recently to give its stamp of approval to the proposal.

“Pinarayi will lead,” splashed a banner headline across the front page of the party daily Deshabhimani.

The report quoted CPI(M) general secretary M.A. Baby as saying that “Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lead the LDF in the Assembly polls.” However, as protocol requires, he added that it is not the party’s practice to project any particular person as its future chief minister. That will be decided only after the results are out.

In the case of Vijayan, 80, neither age nor norms that restrict higher party functionaries from contesting elections repeatedly have been applied.

It was Vijayan—popularly known as Pinarayi, after the small town in Kannur district he hails from—who led the LDF in 2021 as well. And he delivered by steering the front to a stunning second consecutive victory, something very rare in the state where the electoral mandate had swung between coalitions led by the CPI(M) and the Congress for decades.

Ever since his first stint as chief minister in 2016, Vijayan has been referred to as “Captain” by his loyalists and admirers. This is a rare adulation that none of his predecessors, including the legendary E.M.S. Namboodiripad, enjoyed.

In 2021, all but one of the CPI(M) nominees in his cabinet were left out of the electoral fray. Coming as it did close on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, then health minister K.K. Shailaja was allowed to recontest. She, however, failed to make it to the ministry for a second term after the LDF romped home with a sweeping victory, winning 99 seats in the 140-member House.

The scale of the electoral triumph reinforced Vijayan’s stature as the undisputed leader of the party and the government.

Also Read: Kerala Assembly Polls: BJP Targets 30 Seats, Faces Tough Electoral Challenges

The ministry was packed with an entirely new team, including the chief minister’s son-in-law and youth leader P.A. Mohamed Riyas. The selection of nominees bore the will of the “Captain”; the party’s approval was largely a procedural formality.

This time round, however, the party has indicated that all incumbent ministers will be given tickets. Some former ministers who served in the 2016–21 government are also expected to re-enter the fray. The list of candidates is expected to be announced soon.

Despite the CPI(M)’s official line that “the party is above any individual,” the campaign being rolled out is largely crafted around Vijayan’s personality. The campaign themes, slogans and images are essentially built on projecting Vijayan as a leader who delivered and laid the foundation for a “Resurgent Kerala.”

The party’s propaganda machinery has mounted a massive exercise to further elevate Vijayan’s iconic image as a sagacious leader with farsighted vision. The PR blitzkrieg has churned out a plethora of content, particularly tailored for social media.

One of the most spectacular initiatives was superstar Mohanlal interviewing the chief minister. Skipping hard political questions, the conversation effortlessly moves on to highlight the softer and more humane side of Vijayan’s persona, portraying him as a leader whose overriding concern has always been the well-being of the last person in the queue, regardless of political divides.

Critics have dismissed the interview as a carefully curated spin that covers up more than it reveals.

Known for quiet efficiency devoid of bumptious rhetoric, Vijayan has risen through the party ranks by virtue of exceptional organisational skills and an ability to navigate the complex internal dynamics of the CPI(M).

In an organisational apparatus riddled with intense factional tussles—both ideological and ego-driven—Vijayan did not hesitate to confront even well-entrenched veterans like the late V.S. Achuthanandan to make his way up the ladder.

However, steering the LDF to a third consecutive victory will be the most challenging task he has faced. The party suffered significant setbacks in many parts of the state in the local body polls held in December last year.

The Congress-led UDF is all set to mount a stiff challenge to the ruling front, seeking to capitalise on anti-incumbency sentiments reflected in the local polls. The BJP, too, could nibble away at a slice of the LDF vote.

A victory in the face of such political headwinds would mark the most glorious moment of Vijayan’s long political career. A defeat, however, could signal the twilight of an innings that has shaped Kerala’s political landscape for decades.