As counting enters the last phase, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has won four seats from three states, improving its position in Lok Sabha. The leftist group, part of the INDIA alliance, won one seat each in Kerala and Rajasthan and two seats in Tamil Nadu.
The CPI(M) fielded 52 candidates this time with the hope of increasing their seats from three seats. Interestingly, the party won no seats in West Bengal.
K Radhakrishnan, who serves as a minister at Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala, won against Congress’s Ramya Haridas with a lead of 20111 votes. The results reflect the anti-incumbency in the state, a stronghold of CPIM.
Senior leaders like Politburo member A Vijayaraghavan, Thomas Issac, Rajya Sabha member Elamaram Kareem and popular leader K K Shailaja were defeated by Congress in the state.
CPIM’s Amraram, a popular figure from the region, was part of the opposition alliance that created a dent in the BJP’s sweep in Rajasthan. The vice president of All India Kisan Sabha had a massive victory in the Sikar seat by over 70,000 votes.
CPIM won Dindigul and Madurai in Tamil Nadu with support from its allies in INDIA. Sachithanantham won the seat of Dindigul with a lead of 443821 votes while Venkatesan S will represent Madurai with a big margin of 209409 votes.
“The result of this Lok Sabha election is a setback for the BJP. This is a stinging blow to the image of invincibility built around Narendra Modi, who had boasted about winning 400 seats in this election,” the party said in an official statement on Tuesday.
The vote share of the CPI(M) is around 1.78 per cent, a slight improvement from 1.75% in 2019.
