Updated: December 16, 2020 2:21:50 pm
Counting of votes by mail in the Alapuzha Collection
Despite a series of corruption allegations and an intense campaign against its government and leaders, the CPI-M-led LDF in the Kerala government appears to be retaining its dominance in local bodies as results came in on Wednesday for the morning.
Shortly before noon, the LDF got ahead of the Congress-led UDF in Gram Panchayats and blocks, while the latter had the upper hand in municipal bodies.
In all six corporations, both the UDF and LDF were in a melee race, with LDF leading in four and UDF in two.
EVM taken from a counting center in Kochi
The BJP-led NDA appeared to be making considerable progress in Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad districts. However, the LDF was ahead in Thiruvananthapuram, dashing the BJP’s hopes of winning the corporation in the capital.
Overall, the election results so far indicate that the BJP, despite its desperate attempts to expand its base in Kerala, has yet to achieve the results it hoped for.
The results at 11 am showed the LDF ahead by 103 bocks and the UDF by 48. The NDA had the lead by only one. The state’s ruling coalition has a clear advantage in the Gram Panchayats with an advantage of 454 of the 941 seats. The Opposition leads at 368 and the NDA at 31. Others – independents and smaller groups – led at 51.
The result so far has given cause for the CPI-M to applaud, as it indicates that the controversies and scandals in which his government was involved have not had a strong adverse impact on his electoral support base. The LDF had faced defeat in the Lok Sabha elections held in 2019.
Although the local body election occurs before the State Assembly election, scheduled for early 2021, and is sometimes referred to as an Assembly mini-poll, voting patterns in the Assembly, Lok Sabha, and local bodies have been different in the state.
However, if trends continue and the LDF retains its strongholds and its advantage in panchayats and blocs, it would be a great morale boost for the ruling coalition. The CPI-M leader and former Secretary of State Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, whose children have been under the shadow of corruption charges, has already announced that the election results proved the opposition wrong.
The elections are an opportunity for all three political fronts – CPM-led LDF, Congress-led UDF, and BJP-led NDA – to demonstrate their strength at the grassroots level.
The recent move by the LDF to get the Kerala Congress (Mani) to join its coalition, separating it from the UDF camp, seemed to have paid off, as the LDF could make further progress in districts such as Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. The LDF has also included Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) in the coalition.
The emergence of smaller groups in urban areas, such as Thiruvananthapuram Vikasana Munnettam (TVM), V4Kochi and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) appeared to have eaten up the UDF’s votes, while the LDF has managed to retain its base of support. in corporations like Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram
While the results could inspire confidence in the LDF, the failure of Congress to retain some of its strongholds, including in Alappuzha, the local constituency of KC Venugopal, general secretary, organization, could intensify the feud between factions in the party’s state unit. , with leaders who indulge in a blame game.
The political impact created by the Supreme Court verdict on the entry of women into Sabarimala has been shown to be having an effect even now.
While the LDF was pushed to third place in Chengannur, the BJP won in Pandalam. Pandalam and Chengannur were the epicenters of the protests against the Sabarimala verdict.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
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