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UDF sweeps Kerala local polls, BJP makes inroads
The Congress-led UDF won local elections in Kerala, reversing past losses, while BJP celebrated its first municipal victory, ending LDF's long rule.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) on Saturday swept elections to the rural and urban local bodies in Kerala that are seen as a bellwether for the upcoming assembly elections next year, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) first win in a municipal corporation in the state in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi described as a “watershed moment”.
The elections were conducted in two phases on December 9 and 11 with 73.69% of the eligible 28.6 million voters exercising their franchise to elect their representatives at the grassroots level in grama panchayats (GP), block panchayats (BP), district panchayats (DP), municipalities and municipal corporations (MC).
According to the results published by the State Election Commission (SEC), the UDF won 505 of the 941 GPs, 79 of the 142 BPs, 7 of the 14 DPs, 54 of 87 municipalities and four of the six MCs. The results are a stunning turnaround for the UDF, which had lost to the LDF in the 2020 elections. In the 2021 assembly elections, the UDF lost to the LDF , which retained power in a state that usually alternates between the two political amalgamations. This time, however, the UDF not only retained its traditional bastions in districts like Ernakulam, Kottayam and Malappuram, it also made heavy inroads into Left pocket boroughs in districts such Kannur and Kozhikode. In Kollam corporation, which has been governed by the LDF since its formation in 2000, the UDF clinched a decisive victory, winning 27 of the 56 wards.
Ecstatic about the victory, Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan said: “The number one reason for the LDF defeat is that the people hate the current government. In the past, people have often given mandates opposing a government. But this time, the verdict underlines that the people hate the administration. The CPM’s communal tendencies led to this result.”
In its election campaign, the UDF had flagged the Sabarimala gold theft case, in which two CPI(M) leaders are currently in jail, as one of its pivotal talking-points along with alleged deficiencies in the health and education systems of the state.
For the BJP, the biggest cheers were heard in the state capital, where it recorded a dazzling victory in Thiruvananthapuram MC, winning 50 of the 101 wards, just one shy of the halfway mark. In doing so, it ended the 45-year uninterrupted rule of the LDF in the corporation. In the 2015 and 2020 local polls, the BJP had emerged as the principal opposition with 35 wards. Former DGP R Sreelekha and senior party leader VV Rajesh, considered principal contenders for the mayor’s post, won their respective wards of Sasthamangalam and Kodunganoor respectively.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “The mandate the BJP-NDA got in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is a watershed moment in Kerala’s politics. The people are certain that the development aspirations of the state can only be addressed by our party. Our party will work towards this vibrant city’s growth and boost ‘ease of living’ for the people.”
The NDA is set to enjoy power in 26 grama panchayats, up from 20 last time, and is in the driving seat in two municipalities -- Palakkad and Tripunithura.
The CPI(M)-led LDF, which has historically performed well in the local body polls, suffered one of its heaviest defeats, with its rivals making deep inroads into its traditional bastions in districts such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kozhikode and Kannur. The LDF, which performed spectacularly in the 2015 and 2020 local body polls and went on to register thumping victories in the 2016 and 2021 assembly polls, will feel shorn of momentum heading into the assembly polls just months away.
Hours after the results trickled in, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: “The LDF did not achieve the results it expected in the local body polls. Although we were expecting a giant victory, we have not been able to make advances. We will examine the results in detail and make the necessary corrections before moving forward.”
(With inputs from Smriti Kak Ramachandran)
