Kozhikode (Keralam) | The CPI(M) will organise a three-day extended state committee meeting here on Sunday to discuss ways to overcome the setbacks the party suffered following its defeat in the assembly election, state secretary M V Govindan said.

In a statement issued on Friday, Govindan said that the party general secretary M A Baby will inaugurate the meeting here, which will conclude on September 15 with a rally and public meeting at Kozhikode beach, where around 1.25 lakh people are expected to participate.

As many as 307 state and national party leaders will take part in the meeting, he said.

The meeting will conduct a critical and self-critical review of the party's organisational and political functioning and formulate measures to strengthen it with ideological clarity and political direction, he said.

According to him, the report prepared by the state secretariat, based on discussions held by party committees at various levels and on 20,200 responses received directly from the public, was discussed in detail and unanimously approved by the state committee on September 7 and 8.

The report will be placed before the extended state committee, which will have 307 participants, Govindan said.

The meeting is being organised with funds collected only from party members, he said.

"Considering the seriousness of the political situation, the election review was prepared differently this time. Unlike the usual practice of the state committee preparing a review first and then sending it to lower committees for discussion, the party decided first to gather the views of committees at different levels and prepare the state-level review based on them," he said.

The extended state committee will examine organisational weaknesses, along with political and ideological issues, and formulate practical measures to address them, he said.

"The party will examine why the achievements of the 10-year LDF government did not translate into electoral support and draw up plans to address the issue. The party's continuing increase in membership without a corresponding increase in mass influence would also be examined," he said.

Govindan said the meeting would also discuss how to counter the influence of communal forces in Keralam and examine the circumstances that enabled the Sangh Parivar to win three seats in the state.

"There are organisational, political and administrative factors behind the assembly election defeat," he said, adding that organisational weaknesses were also linked to broader political and ideological issues.

CPI(M) state secretary said the party would formulate plans to improve the political awareness and effectiveness of its members and address shortcomings in its work among the people.

Govindan said the party would also discuss how to protect the achievements made by Keralam under successive LDF governments, alleging that the UDF government was moving in a direction that would undermine them and was following the Centre's globalisation policies and communal agenda.

He said the LDF's electoral setback did not mean the front had collapsed, citing the party's history of overcoming major crises.

"The party has the experience of overcoming setbacks and emerging stronger," Govindan said, adding that it would overcome the latest setback as well through criticism and self-criticism, democratic centralism and inner-party democracy.