Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan has assured the Communist Marxist Party (CMP) that more than one candidate of the party will be fielded by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the Assembly elections next year.
Inaugurating the 40th anniversary of the CMP’s founding at Tagore theatre on Saturday, Mr. Satheesan said while the CMP has been a part of the UDF for three and a half decades, the alliance has not done justice to the party. “It is time to compensate for that with interest. It is a party that deeply influences the decisions taken by the UDF. I assure you that it will have more than one legislator in the State Assembly in 2026,” he said.
Panakkad Syed Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal of the Indian Union Muslim League endorsed the assurance.
Mr. Satheesan criticised the State government for faking a fight with the Governor against communalism, but they actually reached a compromise under the cover of darkness. He said the UDF will not only expose the State government point by point, but will also present a vision for the State. The parties in the alliance do not work in isolation these days. “It’s Team UDF, as you have seen in Nilambur [byelection] now,” he said.
Mr. Munavvar Ali spoke about the political Left as a humanist grouping with a justice-based stance. But what is recognised as the Left grouping in Kerala has lost its Leftist character and has become a rightwing entity, he said, lauding the CMP for its democratic, humanist standpoints.
C.P. John, general secretary of the CMP, said party founder M.V. Raghavan’s view that minorities should be taken along in the fight against majoritarian, fascist forces continues to be relevant even today.
Published – July 26, 2025 08:49 pm IST
