A blame game of sorts has begun in the CPM after the by-election rout in West Bengal. Although the party’s central leadership went into a silent mode, senior Politburo member M K Pandhe on Tuesday said the vote was against the state government and not in favour of the Trinamool Congress.

He said it was time the state government and Bengal CPM pulled up their socks. “We should learn the lessons from the people’s verdict. We must work hard to win back the confidence of the people. More pro-people steps should be taken by the party and the government,” he said.

Pandhe said the verdict should not be seen as one in favour of Mamata Banerjee. “It is not pro-Mamata. It is against us. That is what the people have done. The same people who have been voting for us are now not voting for us. It should be taken note of and proper steps taken to win back the people,” he told The Indian Express.

He, however, did not elaborate on the steps that need to be taken to win back the confidence of the people. “They (state leadership) should decide what to do,” he said. Asked whether the CPM was thinking about effecting a leadership change in Bengal, he said “the question does not arise”. As regarding Kerala, he downplayed the drubbing saying the seats were held by the Congress and moreover they were traditionally held by the Congress.

Barring Pandhe, none of the central leaders reacted to the bypoll results. With general secretary Prakash Karat, senior Politburo members Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat out of the country, it was left to the state leaderships to do the talking.