Following its electoral setbacks, the CPM has reportedly launched a fresh outreach to regain the trust of Hindus by focusing on temple committees across Keralam. As part of the initiative, the party has formed a Temple Coordination Committee in Kasaragod district under the leadership of senior CPM leader P. Jayarajan of Kannur, with area-wise meetings of temple office-bearers already underway and plans to establish similar committees across the district amid reports that the party aims to expand its influence in temple administration.
P. Jayarajan has been a senior leader of the Keralam CPM. At the same time, he is not a blue-eyed boy of party supremo Pinarayi Vijayan.
The CPM’s action plan is obvious: to increase the presence and intervention of party cadres in temple festivals and celebrations, and subsequently infiltrate the committees.
The idea has been taken up after the party suffered heavy setbacks in the local self-government body elections in December 2025 and the subsequent Assembly elections in April 2026.
The area-wise meetings are aimed at establishing better rapport with temple committees and devotees.
The CPM plans to expand the Kasaragod model to other districts without delay.
Reportedly, the party has come to the conclusion that the controversies surrounding the entry of young women into the Sabarimala shrine and the Sabarimala gold loot have distanced devotees from it. The “Aagola Ayyappa Sangamam”, held just before the Assembly elections, was a strategy to overcome that reversal. But it turned out to be a total disaster, as devotees did not give it any attention. Now, the CPM has come back with a new game plan.
At present, the CPM has infiltrated several temple committees in Malabar. This is part of a plan to take over the temples. That is why joint meetings of temple office-bearers and party sympathisers are being planned in the days to come.
Even without any presence in temple committees, the CPM tries to control temples from the back seat. Control of the Devaswom Boards is enough to hurt devotees. Now, infiltration into the committees will add insult to injury.
