After his emphatic victory in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections, veteran communist leader G. Sudhakaran has ruled out the possibility of joining the Congress or forming a broader alliance of CPI(M) rebels.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Sudhakaran, who contested and won as an Independent with UDF support after ending his six-decade association with the CPI(M), in Ambalappuzha constituency in Alappuzha, said he would continue as an “Independent”.

“My position is entirely different from others. I am not exploring any broader platform or planning to join any political party. I will remain an independent MLA. This allows me to raise issues freely and intervene in matters that benefit society, without being bound by party ideologies,” he said, while expressing gratitude to the Congress for its support.

On Cabinet berth

On whether he would accept a Cabinet berth in a UDF government, Mr. Sudhakaran said the question was premature.

“That situation has not arisen. I have not thought about it and cannot respond to a hypothetical scenario. I will consider it when it arises,” he said.

Fight against ‘political criminals’

Mr. Sudhakaran attributed his victory in Ambalappuzha against CPI(M) incumbent H. Salam to his fight against “political criminals” within the CPI(M). “I was fighting against the criminalisation of politics. A new breed of politicians sprang up in Alappuzha and some parts of the State, whom I called political criminals. I fought against them, and people liked it. People really hated them,” he said.

On the CPI(M)’s electoral setback, he attributed it partly to anti-incumbency but said “deeper issues” were at play. According to him, the party’s State and district leadership had deviated from its core ideological path, weakening its connection with the people. He also criticised what he described as “the promotion of individual-centric politics” and the diminishing public reference to early leaders such as E.M.S. Namboodiripad, A. K. Gopalan and P. Krishna Pillai.

“Party general secretary M.A. Baby says he will examine the issues deeply. But he should already know what is happening in the party. Some leaders are acting against party norms and ideology. Perhaps he is unable to intervene. Personally, he is a good communist, but the reality is that he cannot do much,” Mr. Sudhakaran said.

He warned that the party could either “weaken further or gradually fade” unless corrective steps were taken. “If the leadership wants to save the party, it must act decisively from within and remove those responsible for its decline, regardless of their position,” he said.

Mr. Sudhakaran said the CPI(M) had “drifted away from its original social purpose” and was no longer committed to the causes, including the interests of workers and peasants, it once championed. He maintained that his criticism was directed at certain leaders and not at the party and its core ideology.

Referring to ‘chettatharam’ (considered a derogatory term in Malayalam) remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against him, Mr. Sudhakaran said the larger issue was the absence of a clear corrective direction within the party.

He added that the next generation of leaders risked being misled, which could further undermine the party’s future prospects.