'Marry Women For Sex, Children': Kerala CPM Leader's Shocker After Poll Win

Sayed Ali Majeed, a member of Kerala's ruling CPM, courted controversy Sunday night for misogynistic remarks at an event in Malappuram district to celebrate his 47-vote win in last week's municipal election.

In his speech - attended by hundreds of Left workers, including women - Majeed targeted the Muslim League for fielding women candidates in the local body poll, and accused the party of 'using women for votes'. "They displayed women to win votes..." he said to cheers from his audience.

Not content with crude remarks targeting women candidates fielded by the Muslim League, Majeed also shamed women from the CPM, declaring, "...we also have married women at home... but not to show them off to win votes. Let them sit at home... marry women to sleep with and make kids."

"That is why families traditionally verify lineage and background while arranging marriages..."

The election results, meanwhile, have been seen as a setback for the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front government before next year's election.

The main opposition - the Congress-led United Democratic Front - swept to victory in four of six municipal corporations, retaining control of the Kannur body and flipping two others - Kochi and Kollam - that were previously held by the LDF.

And, to make matters worse, for the LDF, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, which has historically lacked any traction in the state, won control of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, which is represented in the Lok Sabha by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

The municipal corporation was seen as a Left bastion and, in the outgoing 100-member corporation, the CPI(M) had 51 seats, the BJP-led NDA 35 and the UDF 10. In these elections, with the seats now 101, the NDA won 50 seats, the LDF 29, and the UDF 19, with the remaining two going to Independents.