After playing second fiddle to the CPI(M) during the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) decade-long rule in Kerala, the CPI has now demanded a larger role in the Opposition – the post of Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Deputy LoP) in the Assembly, triggering a churn in the Opposition alliance. While the CPI(M) has refused to give up its claim, the CPI has found backing from ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).The CPI’s demand comes against the backdrop of the LDF’s poor showing in the May 2026 Assembly elections, in which it was reduced to just 35 seats in the 140-member House. The CPI argues that the Left needs collective leadership to stage a political comeback, and has sought the Deputy LoP’s post.AdvertisementThe CPI has been pressing for the post since May, after the CPI(M) chose former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as the Leader of the Opposition. Vijayan, who headed the LDF government for a decade from 2016, has already taken the fight to the Satheesan-led UDF government, which recently completed 100 days in office.However, the failure of the CPI(M) and CPI to reach an agreement on the Deputy LoP has meant that the Opposition has struggled to project a united front against the UDF on several issues.The differences came to a head last week when Vijayan said he would write to the Speaker recommending a CPI(M) leader for the post. “Once the letter is given as directed by the Speaker, the Deputy LoP will be appointed. There is no doubt that the name written in that letter will be that of a CPI(M) leader,” Vijayan had told the media.CPI(M) cites traditionAdvertisementSince the formation of the LDF in 1980, the CPI(M) and CPI have been its principal constituents. Whenever the alliance has been in Opposition, both the Leader of the Opposition and Deputy LoP posts have gone to the CPI(M).The CPI(M) currently has 26 MLAs in the 35-member LDF, while the CPI has eight.“The CPI has to make clear on what basis that party has been demanding the post of the Deputy LoP, which has been held by the CPI(M) since 1980. Contrary to tradition, the CPI is now demanding the post. Does CPI think that they have grown after the LDF lost the (2026) Assembly elections? The CPI should not hurt Left unity in Kerala by raising new demands,” said CPI(M) state secretariat member C N Mohanan in the party mouthpiece Deshabhimani.The CPI(M)’s recent election review has concluded that weaving the campaign largely around Vijayan contributed to the party’s debacle.Vijayan’s dominance a factor?For the CPI, the demand is also an opportunity to challenge Vijayan’s dominance within the LDF.During his decade at the helm, the CPI(M), and at times Vijayan personally, has exercised considerable influence over the functioning of the LDF, with the CPI often reduced to a secondary role. The CPI has been critical of Vijayan’s handling of several issues.On policy matters, the CPI had complained that it was not adequately consulted before Kerala joined the PM SHRI scheme. The party had also demanded the suspension of then ADGP M R Ajith Kumar over allegations relating to the disruption of the Thrissur Pooram in 2024 and his meeting with senior RSS leaders. Vijayan had not accepted the demand.The CPI, which is set to hold its state conference next month, is also banking on grassroots-level resentment over Vijayan’s dominance within the party. Reacting to the former CM’s assertion that the Deputy LoP would be from the CPI(M), senior CPI leader and former minister C Divakaran said the CPI(M) could not unilaterally decide the matter. “Who is he (Vijayan) to give the final verdict? Often he adopts a stand which is difficult in Kerala politics. It is the CPI(M) which has to drive the LDF ahead. The post of the Deputy LoP is not the CPI(M)’s right. When discussions are going on to find a solution, no one can make a comment like that,” Divakaran said.On Sunday, another senior CPI leader, Rajaji Mathew Thomas, wrote in the party daily Janayugam that the electoral defeat had made collective leadership necessary.“After the debacle of the Assembly elections, all the partners of the LDF had deliberated on the road ahead. The most important idea that emerged from such deliberations is the collective leadership of the LDF. Hence, the CPI has demanded the post of the Deputy LoP,” he said.Thomas also rejected the CPI(M)’s argument that the post should remain with it because of precedent, saying such a position amounted to a failure to recognise the changes within the Left and in the wider political landscape.IUML backs CPIThe CPI has also found support from an unexpected quarter — the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent of the ruling UDF.IUML national vice-president KPA Majeed, in an article in the party mouthpiece Chandrika, criticised the CPI(M)’s treatment of its junior ally and described the relationship within the LDF as resembling a “master-slave system”.Majeed said that the CPI had its own political identity and history and could not be reduced to a subordinate partner merely because it was electorally weaker than the CPI(M). He also pointed to the CPI’s role in Kerala’s political history, including its association with the Congress and IUML during the C Achutha Menon governments.The road aheadDespite many CPI(M) leaders extending an olive branch to its “disgruntled” ally, the CPI’s bargaining power in Kerala politics remains limited.The Congress-led UDF has 102 members in the 140-member Assembly, leaving little room for the CPI to seek an independent political space within the Opposition.The CPI(M)’s resistance to the CPI’s demand has allowed Vijayan to rally party leaders around him as the state unit prepares for a broader state committee meeting next month to discuss the party’s strategy for rebuilding its organisation and electoral base.For now, both sides have time to resolve the dispute. The next major electoral battle — the 2029 Lok Sabha elections — is still more than two years away.But the numbers underline the CPI’s weakness. Over the years, the party has suffered organisational and political decline in Kerala, with its electoral presence concentrated in a handful of pockets and its victories often aided by the CPI(M)’s organisational machinery.In the 2025 local body elections, the CPI(M) had 7,455 members, as against the CPI’s 1,018.