Kerala local body polls: Will ASHA workers' month-long protest impact CPI(M)?

A prominent section of ASHA workers in Kerala have been in protests for the last one month, primarily due to long-standing grievances over their pay, working conditions, and lack of job security.

The ASHA workers started this protest with the demand for the state government to pay pending dues, change the honorarium scheme from ₹7,000 a month, give them the minimum wages of ₹21,000, and allow retirement benefits for those they have now asked to retire on reaching the age of 62. While they are currently classified as volunteers under the National Health Mission, ASHA workers are also pushing for recognition as permanent employees rather than volunteers.

The government initially downplayed the protest, with Health Minister Veena George claiming that only a small section of ASHA workers were participating, suggesting it lacked broad support. The state also issued ultimatums via the National Health Mission director, threatening dismissal if workers didn’t resume duties.

After weeks of pressure, the government cleared some pending honorariums and incentives in late February 2025. However, it has resisted the core demands for a ₹21,000 honorarium and retirement benefits, citing financial constraints due to the central government’s failure to release NHM funds.

Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leaders dismissed the protest as "politically motivated" and orchestrated by "anarchist groups," citing the involvement of the Marxist-Leninist organization SUCI, which claims to be the “only Communist party of the Indian soil.” The CPI(M)-affiliated trade union staged parallel protests, arguing that ASHA workers’ issues should be addressed by the Centre, not the state. Some CPI(M) leaders even resorted to badmouthing the leaders of the ASHA workers' movement.

The CPI(M) has also accused the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party of exploiting the protest for political gain while defending the LDF’s track record of incrementally raising honorariums (from ₹1,000 in 2016 to ₹7,000 now). Meanwhile, the protesters are planning to escalate their agitation, including a ‘protest pongala’ during the famous Attukal Pongala festival, attended by lakhs of women, and a secretariat blockade on March 17.

ASHA workers operate at the grassroots level, and their discontent—along with that of their families—could dent the CPI(M)’s rural stronghold, especially if the opposition sustains its campaign. ASHA workers also form a key pool from which the CPI(M) recruits women candidates for local body elections. With ASHA workers being predominantly women, their struggle resonates with female voters, a demographic the CPI(M)-led LDF has traditionally courted. A perception of neglect or insensitivity could cost the party votes. The opposition’s narrative of a “hypocritical” CPI(M)—championing workers elsewhere while suppressing them at home—could stick, especially if the protest drags on.

However, political observers like N.M. Pearson believe the CPI(M) will take face-saving measures before the local body elections. “It’s highly unlikely that the CPI(M) will concede to the ₹21,000 honorarium demand, but they will ensure there are no dues and find a way to bring ASHA workers back into the fold,” he says, adding that once the movement dies down, the party’s local committees will work to regain their trust.

Pearson also argues that the protest cannot be sustained indefinitely. Once ASHA workers return to the grassroots, they will re-establish contact with the CPI(M). Political observers note that in many areas, the CPI(M) is the only party maintaining direct engagement, whereas parties like Congress lack a mechanism for sustained communication with them.

Congress MPs have raised the issue in Parliament, which Pearson believes may generate temporary public sentiment. “However, the CPI(M) has the capacity to rebuild its ties with ASHA workers, even if they are strained now. The government’s current stance likely stems from that confidence. Another possibility is that the CPI(M) aims to redirect the protest against the BJP-led Centre.”