The LDF was expecting a result that will power its ambitious target of bagging a third consecutive term in the Assembly elections scheduled for April-May but had a thoroughly disappointing denouement to it
The elections to the local bodies in Kerala have thrown up shocking results to both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the Opposition Congress-led UDF and marked the arrival of the saffron front on the Kerala’s political scene, finally.
The LDF was expecting a result that will power its ambitious target of bagging a third consecutive term in the Assembly elections scheduled for April-May but had a thoroughly disappointing denouement to it. It conceded space to the Congress-led opposition in the gram panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations while holding its ground in the elections to the 14 district panchayats, with each front wining an equal number.
The LDF had been banking on its impressive track record in terms of the developmental and welfare measures implemented by its government in its last two terms but the voters appeared to be more sympathetic to the UDF which has been out of power for a decade. Anti-incumbency has indeed been a factor in the state where the LDF in 2021 broke the nearly 50-year-old tradition of a government change every five years. The theft of the gold ornaments of the hill shrine of the revered deity Ayyappa, the arrest of a CPI(M) leader who was the president of the temple management board and the party’s refusal to take action against him have all angered citizens and not just devotees only. The UDF had warned its opponents of dire consequences for the inaction, and it materialised.
The unexpected victory despite a series of recent setbacks including rape cases against a young Congress legislator has energised the UDF ahead of the impending Assembly elections. The Congress has its own internal squabbles to settle but the people left the task to the party leadership while making their preference for the Opposition known. It is now up to the alliance to set its own house in order and make the most of this gain in the Assembly elections.
The NDA has emerged as the largest formation in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation and is all set to take over its administration, though it failed to sustain the momentum in other parts of the state, including in Thrissur where the party has won its maiden Lok Sabha election. The BJP is sure to showcase its administration in the local body in the state capital to spread its promise of good governance across the state.
