KERALA: The campaigning for the local body polls has gained momentum in rural and urban areas alike. Both the LDF and the UDF are finetuning their organisational machinery for the elections to the 32 district panchayat divisions, 15 block panchayats, 102 grama panchayats, and seven municipalities in the district.
During the last polls, the district had 5 municipalities Malappuram, Tirur, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani and Manjeri.
The number has increased to seven now. Kottakkal and Nilambur panchayats have been upgraded to the status of municipality. As the LDF posted its best performance in the last local body and the Assembly elections in the district, it is a tough battle for the UDF to regain its lost ground this time. The UDF had won 72 of the 102 grama panchayats, 27 out of the 32 district panchayat divisions, 11 of the 14 block panchayats and three of the five municipalities in the last local body polls. The IUML vote share in the district had marked a fall in the last Assembly and local body elections.
However, the party improved the performance in the last Lok Sabha polls. The UDF has already finalised its nominees to the 32member district panchayat. It has allotted 22 seats to the Indian Union Muslim League and remaining 10 seats to the Congress. The LDF and the BJP on the other hand are lagging behind in the allocation of seats and candidate selection. The realignment of political forces over the last few months, particularly the switching over of the INL and the Socialist Janata to the UDF has created ripples. The talks between the Muslim League and the Indian National League which switched sides with the UDF have not been concluded. Following the differences over the number of seats it wants to contest, the INL has dropped alliance with the UDF in Malappuram and Manjeri municipalities.
The BJP will contest in 530 seats in grama panchayats, 60 divisions in 7 municipalities, all the district panchayat divisions and in 175 divisions of 227 block panchayats. In the last local bodies poll, the BJP bagged 18 wards and one division in Ponnani municipality, and this time the party hopes to win in at least 30 seats.
The influence of the Social Democratic Party of India(SDPI), which will field its candidates in almost all the seats in the district, the locallevel Janakeeya Samitis under the banner of Jama'ateIslami, and the PDP will be crucial at least in some panchayats.