Thiruvananthapuram, November 12: Jolted by the drubbing it received in three Assembly by-elections in Kerala at the hands of the Congress, the CPI(M) state secretariat has sought detailed reports on the erosion in party votes.
What seems to have especially shaken party leaders is the huge margin of victory of former comrade and two-time MP from Kannur, A P Abdullakutty over his LDF rival.
Higher winning margins of Congress candidates in Kannur as well as in Ernakulam compared to 2006 Assembly polls and the recent Lok Sabha polls have also heightened their worry.
The party has been taken aback by the vote erosion in many panchayats in the constituency, which were its strongholds.
Muslim consolidation in favour of UDF is another issue on which the party will have to think, party sources said.
Abdullakutty, expelled from CPI-M just a few months back, joined the Congress recently and won from Kannur.
–PTI