CPI general secretary D. Raja on Monday (August 24, 2026) said his party’s demand for the Deputy Leader of Opposition post in Keralam was “genuine” and urged CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan to be “more accommodating" on the issue.

Mr. Raja was responding to reporters’ questions on Mr. Vijayan’s recent remarks that if required, only a CPI(M) leader would be appointed as Deputy Leader of the Opposition despite the CPI raising a claim for it. Mr. Vijayan is the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly.

“As far as our party is concerned, the demand for Deputy Leader is a genuine one. The CPI has been demanding this, and it was being discussed bilaterally,” Mr. Raja said.

Mr. Raja said he “did not understand” why Mr. Vijayan had made remarks favouring a CPI(M) leader for the post.

“Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan, being a senior leader of the entire Left movement in India, must be more accommodating, and that can further strengthen the LDF,” he said.

Recently, CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam had also expressed concern over Mr. Vijayan’s remarks and reiterated his party’s demand for the post.

The CPI is the second-largest constituent of the LDF after the CPI(M), which leads the Left bloc.