The political significance of the Assembly polls underway in Kerala cannot be overstated. The outcome could decide the destiny of two traditional rivals—the CPM and Congress—that have dominated the political space for decades now. While the winner will survive, the loser could fall apart and cede ground to a rising BJP in the days to come. Equally significant, and disturbing, is the increasing criminalisation of state politics. So, while parties and fronts are engaged in parleys for dividing seats and picking contestants, a serious concern is there’s little talk of fielding cleaner and better candidates. According to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms, 65% of the outgoing MLAs are facing criminal cases and 21% have serious criminal charges pending. As many as 90% of the MPs elected from Kerala in 2019 had criminal charges pending, the highest among all states. The number of MLAs with a criminal background rose 17% in comparison to the previous Assembly. And most of them will likely contest again. A group of women activists has demanded that those with a history of violence against women and known for their anti-women stance be kept away from the fray, but parties are unlikely to pay attention.
Given how leaders from Kerala take pride in presenting a progressive picture of the state, highlighting its socio-economic parameters in contrast to those of other states, this poll should be treated as an opportunity to set an example. A clean-up is timely, and parties can take up three challenges in this regard. One, field as few candidates facing criminal charges as possible. Zero would be ideal. Two, pick more women to contest. Greater the number the better. The 140-strong Assembly has just nine women at present. Three, give preference to young and new faces. About 66% of the outgoing MLAs are in the 51 to 80 age group. Irrespective of the election outcome, the parties that take up these challenges would have ushered in a change. If not, this could turn out to be another usual electoral exercise that perpetuates the biases and flaws normally associated with politics in this country.