Senior leaders V.D. Satheesan, Ramesh Chennithala, and K.C. Venugopal attribute the massive win to cohesive teamwork within the alliance, the guarantees and assurances given to the people, methodical electioneering, and the ‘misgovernance and nepotism’ of the outgoing LDF government. The scale of the Left’s defeat has been amplified by the loss of face in some of its strongholds such as Taliparamba, Payyannur, and Ambalapuzha, where CPI(M) rebels backed by the UDF posted decisive victories