Senior CPI(M) leader E.P. Jayarajan on Friday said the party-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) would overcome its unexpected electoral setback in the Kerala Assembly polls and make a strong comeback after correcting its shortcomings. The LDF suffered a significant defeat in the election, which Jayarajan described as completely unexpected.

Jayarajan said the communist movement in Kerala and India had not progressed through uninterrupted victories alone, but through analyzing setbacks and making corrections. He recalled the 1957 Namboodiripad government, which was dismissed through what he termed the misuse of constitutional provisions and democratic subversion.

Jayarajan criticized the Congress-led UDF over the ongoing discussions regarding the selection of the next Chief Minister, alleging that they were fighting for the Chief Minister's chair in a manner that insults the people who voted for them.

The CPI(M) and the Left will undertake activities to become stronger and resist fascist tendencies that seek to destroy democracy and secularism, Jayarajan said, warning that even a slight weakening of the Left in Kerala would provide space for communal forces to grow and threaten the State's secular traditions and social progress. The party will now focus on correcting its shortcomings and making a strong comeback in the coming days.