THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the LDF, the defeat in the local body election represents a fall from the political height the CPM had reached over a decade. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, long considered unassailable, now faces questions over his political invincibility. CPM state secretary M V Govindan would also face some tough questions over his capabilities in organising the party machinery.
The UDF secured a sweeping mandate across both rural and urban areas, reflecting widespread voter dissatisfaction with the LDF government. “The verdict is a strong sign of anti-incumbency against the government,” said political analyst Ajith Sreenivasan. “The LDF treated people’s sentiments with contempt. Their focus on a third term exposed faultlines within the CPM and the government,” he said.
The LDF, which previously held five corporations, could retain only one this time. For the first time since 2010, when UDF registered a landslide victory in local bodies, LDF lost influence in grama panchayats, block panchayats, and municipalities.
The only consolation for the CPM is its victory in seven district panchayats, which is proof of the party’s enduring political base. Having been in power for almost a decade, the LDF failed to leverage the advantages of incumbency. Large-scale development projects and the last-minute welfare measures, announced just days before the election declaration by the CM in the form of a ‘mini budget’ did not sway voters.
“Welfare pensions or kits did not deliver the LDF’s historic win in 2021,” said a social observer. Despite Christian community’s bonhomie with the BJP, the results in Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam and Idukki indicate the return of Christian votes to UDF.
The setback in Kottayam will pose a question on Kerala Congress (M)’s credibility.
The result also shows that the Sabarimala gold theft issue worked as a catalyst in the anti-incumbency factor.