Our Correpsondent
The ruling Left Democratic Front has gained a clear edge in village, block, district panchayats, and corporation councils in Kerala. The LDF wone five out of six corporations, 10 out of 14 district panchayats, 108 out of 152 block panchayats and 514 out of 941 gram panchayats. It managed to win only 35 out of 86 municipalities. The UDF bagged 45 of the municipalities.The NDA bagged two municipalities and 23 gram panchayats.
The huge surge of the LDF is a major victory for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been the lone face of the party as well as the government. Vijayan had faced a setback in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 when the LDF bagged only one out of 20 seats. Although the local body elections are a different ball game, the results are being viewed as a referendum on his government which is headed for Assembly elections less than six months away.
The local body elections were held at a time when the LDF government, as well as CPI (M), have been traversing through a period of turmoil. The political situation in Kerala has been adverse for the Chief Minister whose office has been in shadow of a gold smuggling scandal. Even the party state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has been forced to go on leave after his son was jailed in a drug case.
In the midst of a campaign against his Government and particularly his office, Vijayan treaded a different path. His focus during the electioneering has been the achievements of the government, particularly the welfare schemes, that it had initiated.
The CPI(M) leader could strike a chord with the voters by highlighting the government’s interventions in their daily life and local development. The results showed that the gold smuggling scandal and several other corruption charges raised against the CMO, has made little impact among the voters.
This was the first electoral battle after Vijayan brought Kerala Congress (M) to the LDF fold. His skilfully brought Kerala Congress (M), the regional Christian party led by Jose K Mani, into the LDF.
This tactical move had evoked protest from CPI, the second leading ally of LDF. But, Vijayan could silence such opposition from within the LDF. As LDF won several traditional UDF strongholds in Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta, where KC (M) has high stakes, the move has become another testimony to the pragmatic politics of Vijayan.
However, the LDF should not rest on its laurels but continue to counter the campaign of the UDF and NDA to convince the people so that the CPI(M)-led front is returned to power in the next Assembly elections
