Kozhikode: The CPM Kozhikode leadership has admitted at last that there was a shift in the traditional party votes to the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.
CPM district secretary in-charge M. Bhaskaran told Deccan Chronicle that the fact could not be denied. “In our evaluation, we have found that there is erosion in party votes, though slightly, towards the BJP kitty,” he added.
“We will inquire into the reasons of the shift and identify the partymen who voted for the BJP and would take measures to correct them,” Mr Bhaskaran said and added that the Aam Aadmi Party and NOTA also had affected all major political parties.
His revelation has come at a time when the BJP made inroads into all CPM bastions across Malabar. The CPM was on an all-out drive to win minority votes for Mr A.N. Shamseer in Vadakara which boomeranged as even party traditional votes went to the Congress kitty.
The CPM Kannur district committee is also reviewing the poll results though party candidate P.K. Sreemathy had a narrow win in the election.
CPM Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan told DC that the party had made no such reviews to be publicised. He refused to comment on the increase in BJP votes in party citadels.
Interestingly, the BJP doubled the votes in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency despite the red-carpet reception given by the CPM to NaMo Vichar Manch rebels, including a few involved in murder of CPM cadre.
The BJP won 51,636 votes, almost doubling its vote share of 27,123 in 2009. The BJP also significantly increased its vote share in Kallyassery and Thrikkarippur legislative constituencies, both CPM citadels of Kasargod district.
The BJP bagged 4,610 and 5,269 additional votes from Kallyassery and Thrikkarippur constituencies respectively whereas the CPM lost 1,820 and 1,841 votes.
The BJP had bagged 47,344 more votes than in the previous Lok Sabha election.
