Kerala polls 2026: Left faces wave of defections as familiar faces cross over

In an election season when defections are often dismissed as routine manoeuvres by politicians seeking relevance, the departures of several Left leaders have triggered an unusual discussion within the Left Democratic Front in Kerala. Four former MLAs from the CPI(M) and two from the CPI have crossed over during the campaign period, aligning themselves either with the United Democratic Front (UDF) or the BJP.

Seen individually, these are not dramatic shifts. They are not a coordinated revolt or a mass exit from the Left camp. Yet the symbolic weight of some of the names involved means the developments cannot be brushed aside as routine electoral migration.

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Most prominent among them is former minister and the strongman from Alappuzha district, G Sudhakaran, who has declared that he will contest as an independent candidate from Ambalappuzha constituency. Other big names include Aisha Potty and PK Sasi.

Sudhakaran’s rift with CPI(M)

Sudhakaran had been at odds with the CPI(M) since he was denied a ticket in the 2021 Assembly elections and was later removed from the state committee. An internal party inquiry had concluded that he worked against the official candidate that year.

The standoff culminated last week when Sudhakaran declined to renew his primary membership, leading to its automatic lapse. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, he said he had been with the party for 43 years. “I am a committed communist, in both words and deeds,” he said.

For the CPI(M), Sudhakaran is not merely a former minister seeking another political opening. A four-time MLA and two-time minister, he has been part of the party’s political landscape for decades. But his significance within the Communist movement in Kerala lies in something deeper than electoral positions.

Sudhakaran is the brother of a martyr. Within the political culture of the communist movement in Kerala, martyrs occupy a space that is often described as being above the party itself. Families of martyrs carry a symbolic stature that goes beyond the normal hierarchy of political leadership.

Sudhakaran’s younger brother, G Bhuvaneswaran, was killed in 1977 at the campus of NSS College, Panthalam. The killing, carried out by activists of the Kerala Students Union, became an early flashpoint of student politics in the state.

For decades, the party invoked Bhuvaneswaran’s death, and Sudhakaran himself often blamed the Congress-backed student organisation while recalling the incident.

Martyr legacy fuels debate

That history has now returned to the centre of political debate.

Responding to Sudhakaran’s exit, the CPI(M) has also invoked the martyrdom of his brother, arguing that his present political position stands in sharp contrast to the legacy associated with the family within the communist movement.

What has drawn attention, however, is Sudhakaran’s recent articulation of that history. In his interactions with the media after the political shift, he described the attackers as “upper caste Nair goons” rather than directly blaming the KSU.

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Sudhakaran, however, has also found some support outside the party. Among those who spoke in his defence is Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, Metropolitan of the Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church.

Mor Coorilos asked,“If a leader who served the movement for decades cannot even be embraced with basic human values in the evening of his life, then what kind of Left is this?” he asked.

CPI(M) faces more exits

The CPI(M) is also dealing with the exit of three other former legislators.

Aisha Potty, a three-time MLA from Kottarakkara in Kollam district, had built her political career through the party’s organisational structures. Known as a giant killer, she defeated Kerala Congress stalwart R Balakrishna Pillai in 2006. She has switched over to the Congress and will be fielded as the UDF candidate.

Then there is PK Sasi, the former MLA from Palakkad district and former chairman of the Kerala State Tourism Development Corporation, whose political career was marked by controversy and disciplinary action within the party after a woman comrade accused him of sexual misconduct. While his standing within the CPI(M) had weakened in recent years, his departure still represents the exit of a leader who once wielded influence in Palakkad district.

S Rajendran, the Tamil-speaking Dalit leader from Idukki who had been expelled from the party, has joined BJP and is all set to contest from Devikulam in Idukki as the NDA candidate.

Defections stir Left debate

Within the CPI, the election season has brought its own departures.

CC Mukundan, the sitting legislator from Nattika in Thrissur district, has also moved away from the Left fold. He had been closely associated with the party’s organisational network in the coastal belt of Thrissur. Mukundan is seeking a berth in the UDF, but the Congress has yet to take a final decision.

The other exit is that of K Ajith from Vaikom in Kottayam district, who has joined the BJP, reflecting the party’s continuing attempts to attract leaders from across Kerala’s political spectrum.

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Even a handful of high-profile exits can create conversations within the rank and file, particularly in constituencies where these leaders once enjoyed personal influence. However, the Left leadership maintains that the departures will not significantly affect its prospects, arguing that the alliance’s vote base is political and organisation-driven rather than centred on individuals.