KOCHI: It’s hard for Malayalees to forget that episode from Kerala’s political history when the CPM forged an uncanny alliance with a smaller party like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Abdul Nasser Madani in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, aiming more votes.
Both the PDP and Madani have faded into oblivion for the LDF following the latter’s arrest by the Karnataka police in connection with the 2008 Bengaluru blast case.
It’s fact that the alliance with PDP not only failed to yield any desired result for the CPM but also caused total debacle with the LDF managing to win only four of the total 20 seats.
Much water has flown under the bridge since the 2009 general elections and smaller parties like Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Welfare Party of India (WPI) and PDP have managed to make considerable influence on voters.
For both the Congress and the CPM, handling parties like SDPI, PDP and WPI is one of the major challenges in the election as these parties have a considerable number of votes in their kitty, which might play a decisive role in a candidate’s victory.
An analysis of the 2014 election results shows the SDPI had secured 2.73 lakh votes, while the Welfare Party could garner 68,332 votes. Even the PDP claims to have a strong presence in certain pockets in the state.
The SDPI has strong pockets in Kannur, Vadakara, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ponnani, Palakkad, Chalakkudy, Ernakulam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Attingal, while the Welfare Party has considerable influence in Chalakudy, Palakkad, Malappuram and Wayanad.
“We have decided to support the UDF this time. Our workers will vote and campaign for the UDF candidates. We have considerable votes in a few key places,” said Welfare Party of India state secretary Sajeed Khalid.
Similarly, both the PDP and the SDPI too will soon take a call on extending support to main political fronts in the state. The SDPI has announced candidates in only 10 constituencies in the state leaving the option for both the UDF and the LDF for an informal alliance.
The PDP, which has announced candidates in only five constituencies, will soon finalise their election strategy in other seats as well.
“We have not decided on our strategy in constituencies other than Malappuram, Ponnani, Chalakudy, Alappuzha and Attingal, where our candidates are contesting. We will soon chalk out a strategy after discussing with party local leaders,” said PDP state-vice president Poonthura Siraj.