THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Meet the political parties that command other states but barely make a blip on Kerala’s electoral radar. Branded as ‘fringe actors’, the modest seat tallies of such parties are often mocked when set against the state’s entrenched fronts.
Yet political observers caution that dismissing them outright may be a mistake. Their strength in select strongholds could send out quiet tremors capable of nudging the trajectories of Kerala’s major political fronts.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leads the pack in terms of the sheer number of candidates fielded in the upcoming local body election. The party, that once ruled Delhi and is now in power in Punjab, had entered the civic election arena in 2015 with around 80 candidates but failed to open its account. AAP first tasted success in 2023 when its candidate won a panchayat ward in Idukki in a bypoll.
In the upcoming civic polls, AAP has fielded a total of 380 candidates across various local bodies in all districts. “We will put up an impressive performance in this local body election and are particularly confident of winning seats in Kozhikode and Kochi corporations and a district panchayat division in Idukki,” said Vinod Mathew Wilson, AAP state president.
“AAP could be an alternative for voters who are averse to the ideologies and practices of the three major fronts. But it would be a form of negative voting that is not beneficial in the long run. Instead, AAP should offer positive alternatives such as revival of the anti-corruption plank on which it was originally based, and taking up issues facing the marginalised sections and the downtrodden to stay relevant,” opined Prof M N Karassery, political observer and social critic.
Meanwhile, DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), the ruling party in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, is upbeat about a rousing performance in the local body election in Kerala. The party, led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, has fielded candidates in 23 wards. Of these, nine candidates are in Kollam’s Punalur municipality and one in Thenmala grama panchayat while.the remaining 13 have been fielded in Devikulam and Peermade taluks of Idukki.
“It is for the first time that DMK is contesting under the party’s official ‘rising sun’ symbol in Kerala, and we are confident of a good show this time around,” said K R Murugesan, DMK Kerala state secretary. Punalur has been a stronghold of the Dravidian party for many years. Notably, in the 2023 election to Punalur Service Cooperative Bank that falls under the municipal limits, all 13 candidates fielded by the DMK came second, pushing the UDF to third spot.
AIADMK (All Indian Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, has been a player in Kerala’s electoral scene for the past few decades. As the party’s official ‘two-leaves’ symbol has been reserved for Kerala Congress (M) in the state, the party’s candidates have been contesting under the ‘hat’ symbol. As many as 30 AIADMK candidates are contesting the upcoming local body election, mostly in its strongholds in Idukki and Palakkad.
“We have renewed our ties with the BJP-led NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu but in Kerala we have decided to go it alone. In the two wards where our candidates are contesting in Thiruvananthapuram district, the BJP is also in the fray,” pointed out Haribabu V Pillai, Kerala state secretary, AIADMK. He added that the party would put up an impressive performance in Idukki and Palakkad districts where it has fielded candidates in 16 and 12 wards respectively. “We are hopeful of improving our tally in 2015 when we won as many as six wards,” he added.
Meanwhile, a section of political analysts are of the view that other-state parties see the local body election in Kerala as part of a larger game-plan. “For many such parties, fielding candidates is primarily part of reviving their cadre ahead of the assembly election.
Though they may not win the seats they contest, the votes they poll would be shown as a sign of strength in certain pockets and used as a bargaining chip against major fronts in the upcoming elections,” opined A Jayashankar, political commentator.
“It is more of a spoiler effect that parties from other states pose in their strongholds in Kerala,” Jayasankar said. In areas where linguistic minorities are a sizeable number, disillusionment with the LDF and UDF favours such fringe parties, he said. “Most of these voters would have been taken for a ride in successive elections by the dominant fronts and they would naturally be on the lookout for a platform to express their resentment. Whether their favoured candidate would win the election is a different question altogether,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), that has made inroads into the migrant population and also minorities in the state’s hilly areas, has opted out of the fray this time around. Owing to differences between the state unit and its newly appointed state convener P V Anvar, the party’s symbol has been frozen by the poll panel. AITC state president C G Unni dismissed claims that independents backed by AITC are contesting the civic elections. “The party will face the elections officially only after its internal elections are completed,” he added.
AIADMK
Total candidates
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
T’Puram municipal corporation: 1
(Medical College ward)
Neyyattinkara municipality: 1 (Perumpazhuthoor ward)
PALAKKAD
Palakkad town & Kozhinjamapara panchayat: 12 candidates
IDUKKI
Devikulam, Marayoor & Munnar areas: 16 candidates
DMK Total candidates
KOLLAM (10)
Punalur municipality: 9 wards
Thenmala grama panchayat: 1 ward
IDUKKI (13)
Devikulam taluk: 7
Peermade taluk: 6