3 min read Thiruvananthapuram May 5, 2026 06:10 AM IST First published on: May 5, 2026 at 06:07 AM IST A decade-long stint of the CPI(M) Left Democratic Front in Kerala on Monday culminated in one of the worst electoral setbacks for the party in recent times. The results of the Assembly polls, where the alliance was reduced to 34 seats in the 140-member House, has left the CPI(M) grappling with questions over its leadership in the legislature as well as on Pinarayi Vijayan’s future. If the LDF had managed to buck the state’s “anti-incumbency” trend for another term, Vijayan would have emerged stronger not only within his party but among the rank and file of the Left, securing another term as the chief minister. The CPI(M) had already announced that he would head the next government in the event of a third consecutive win. Vijayan was the only member of the politburo who had contested the elections.…