Malappuram (Kerala) | In a public admission of the CPI(M)'s internal assessment of its Assembly poll defeat, former Kerala Assembly Speaker A N Shamseer on Thursday said a series of political and organisational decisions had contributed to the LDF's poor performance.

Addressing a meeting held in connection with a Martyrs' Day observance at Kalikavu in Malappuram district, Shamseer publicly endorsed the findings of the party's internal review, which had been approved by the CPI(M)'s state committee and Central Committee.

He admitted that the party had erred in selecting candidates for the Payyannur and Taliparamba Assembly constituencies.

He acknowledged that the CPI(M)'s response to objectionable remarks against the Muslim-majority Malappuram district by SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan had not been strong enough.

"Our candidate selection in Payyannur and Taliparamba went wrong. We carried out self-criticism that our response was not strong enough when Vellappally Natesan made insulting remarks against Malappuram," Shamseer said.

He said the party had concluded that the reading out of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's message during the Global Ayyappa Sangamam "should not have happened".

"Which other party can carry out such self-criticism?" he asked.

Shamseer's remarks assume significance as they mark the first public acknowledgement by a senior CPI(M) leader of the conclusions reached in the party's internal review, although the findings had already been endorsed by the party's state committee and Central Committee.

Local media had earlier reported details of the CPI(M)'s review of the Assembly election results, which was adopted at the party's Central Committee meeting held from July 11 to 13.

According to the review, the party's election campaign became excessively centred on the then chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, allowing the Opposition to turn the contest into a personality-driven rather than a political battle.

The review concluded that a CPI(M) minister's reading out of Adityanath's message at the Global Ayyappa Sangamam had damaged the party's secular image and created the impression that it was soft towards Hindutva forces.

It acknowledged that the party's response to Vellappally's remarks against Malappuram was inadequate and that statements made by some leaders had alienated sections of the public.

The review said the controversy over PM-SHRI schools and differences with the CPI, an LDF ally, were used by the Congress-led UDF to reinforce allegations of an understanding between the BJP and the CPI(M).

The review came after the LDF suffered one of its worst electoral defeats in Kerala, winning only 35 seats in the 140-member Assembly. The UDF secured 102 seats, while the BJP opened its account in the Assembly by winning three seats-Chathannoor, Kazhakkoottam and Nemom.