Caught between the COVID-19 pandemic and the diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] appears to have adopted a more pragmatic approach to facing the upcoming three-tier local body polls in the State, especially in the Malabar region.
A senior party functionary said that the focus would be on selection of candidates. Area committees and local branches have already started scouting for fresh candidates, including non-political personalities, with impeccable record and grassroots-level support. Such a strategy, they hope, will help overcome any possible anti-incumbency factor.
Party sources said that Minister for Higher Education K.T. Jaleel’s remarks on distribution of Quran to counter allegations in connection with the gold smuggling case had not gone down well with the Muslim community.
Leaders like Mr. Jaleel along with P.T.A. Rahim, MLA of National Secular Conference, have helped build a bridge between the CPI(M) and the Muslim community, and that had favoured the electoral prospects of the Left Democratic Front earlier.
Tough battle
Now, the ruling front is so much on the defensive with multiple issues ranging from the gold smuggling scandal to allegations over the Life Mission project.
What seemed like a cakewalk for Left parties in the upcoming local body polls a month ago has now become an uphill battle for the ruling front.
