The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI (M) in Kerala appeared poised for a sweep in polls by local bodies in the state on Wednesday, often seen as a semi-final before the assembly elections to be held. will be held in April-May next year.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) was in second place, leading in more than 400 local organizations, since the votes of the three phases that concluded on December 14 were counted on Wednesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) remained a distant third, although it appeared to have made some progress, leading in Pandalam, the center for protests against the entry of women into Sabarimala, among others.
Here are the key details and importance of Kerala local body polls for different parties / fronts:
LDF: The Left Democratic Front leads in 514 of the 941 grass panchayats, five of the six city corporations and 11 of the 14 district panchayats, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, describing the strong performance as a victory for the people. The left front was also ahead at 108 block panchayats, Vijayan told reporters.
LDF’s notable rise comes at a time when the front and its government were going through one of the most difficult periods since it came to power in 2016, as it had to face a series of accusations, including the gold smuggling case, made by the opposition.
The former chief secretary to the prime minister, M Sivasankar, a senior IAS official, had been arrested in the gold smuggling case that was being investigated by several central agencies.
A close look at the survey result shows that the political realignment in the LDF (Kerala Congress Mani and Loktantric Janata Dal joined the ruling coalition), the government’s effective Covid-19 control measures and its welfare programs, including the free ration, they paid him big dividends. His high-pitched campaign that central agencies are targeting their leaders and trying to sabotage welfare programs also helped him attract votes of sympathy, political observers said. A minority consolidation against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also helped him in important ways, they added.
UDF: The United Democratic Front, led by Congress, was seeking a repeat of the Lok Sabha result: it had won 19 out of 20 seats last year. But out of the six corporations, it emerged victorious only in Kannur (North Kerala) and Kochi. However, the UDF, which leads 375 grass panchayats, 44 block panchayats, 45 municipalities and three district panchayats, claimed that it has not lost ground in any of its traditional strongholds and that claims of defeat were “unfounded.”
Congressional leaders said they will examine the reasons for the debacle and do enough introspection. “The political climate was favorable for the party. We will examine the reasons and take corrective action, ”said party leader TN Prathapan, who is a member of Parliament from Thrissur.
BJP: The party’s state chairman K Surendran alleged that the UDF and LDF worked together to contain the rise of the BJP. “Last week, LDF A coordinator Vijayaraghavan said that the CPI (M) had taken enough measures to stop BJP on its way. In many districts, congressional workers gave their block vote to the CPI (M) to sabotage the BJP’s chances in Thiruvananthapuram, ”he said, adding that the ruling dispensation also distributed secret leaflets in many places for the consolidation of the minority against the BJP.
One of the reasons cited by political experts in Kerala for the mediocre performance of the BJP is the increasing infighting. Many high-level leaders like Shobha Surendran, PM Velayudhan and KP Sreesan stayed away from the campaign this time. There are two groups in the party: one led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs V Muraleedharan, and the other by senior leader PK Krishnasdas. After Surendran’s elevation as state president, many leaders stay away from the party’s activities in protest of its style of operation. His opponents in the party said they will approach the central party leadership for the change of officials.
Although the BJP failed to put on a spectacular show, it still seemed on track to improve on its 2015 record, when it won 14 grass panchayats and Palakkad the municipality.
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