THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hitting the campaign trail with unusual alacrity, the CPM-led left front hopes to script history by winning a third consecutive term in the state assembly.
Looking to ride out with confidence, both the CPM and the CPI were off the block, declaring their candidates just minutes after the election schedule was declared.
Despite the head start, the ruling front is witnessing an unprecedented internal revolt, with Kannur’s T K Govindan being the latest to quit the party over differences of opinion.
Never in its history has the LDF faced such a revolt from within in the run-up to the election. An array of seniors as already parted ways with the front, triggering widespread tremors that could well rock the establishment in the upcoming elections.
Five former MLAs and one sitting MLA, including veteran G Sudhakaran, bid adieu in a short span of two months. Open rebellion in key strongholds, including Kannur and Alappuzha, has literally left the LDF in shock.
Sensing that the general sense of fatigue over its decade-long rule could pose the biggest challenge, the LDF is hoping to cash in on its development plank and welfare initiatives.
Despite anti-incumbency, the CPM has chosen to lean back on most of its sitting MLAs, while the CPI has opted for many fresh faces.
Despite of setbacks in the recent local body polls, the left hopes to make it happen with early candidate selection, steady campaigning and a well-oiled grassroots machinery.
The captain obviously remains its biggest asset, withthe LDF able to present a united face under Pinarayi Vijayan.
According to political analysts, the Sabarimala factor could also weigh on LDF’s plans, with an erosion of Hindu votes. And the ultimate beneficiary of this situation, whether the UDF or the BJP, would also prove crucial.
The left is also well aware of a Muslim consolidation in favour of the UDF. Treading cautiously, the front is trying to make inroads into the community in several pockets.
Similar efforts are on to woo Christian minorities, too. Nevertheless, to what extent these measures would convert into support remains to be seen.