KOCHI: The Muslim League has announced 20 candidates out of its quota of 24 while most other parties have still not made up their mind about seat allocation.
As has been its wont in the past, the third largest constituent in the UDF, Kerala Congress (M) has split once again, the umpteenth time this has happened, justifying the saying that this is one party that splits as it grows and grows as it splits.
With the party rebels, with close affiliations with the powerful Church walking into their camp, LDF has reason to believe that there would be a significant shift in the voting pattern, especially in the 30-odd seats in central Kerala.
This would be a double blow for the UDF as the local body elections held in October last saw sizeable Muslim votes swinging in favour of the Left following the controversy stoked over eating beef where the Congress was seen as not taking any effective measure.
Now, the UDF would have to work extra hard to prove that its miscalculation during the
local body elections about polarisation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP being at the cost of the LDF was a one-off phenomenon.
It is a matter of speculation whether the BJP would get two-four Assembly seats or six-eight but what it will ensure by aligning with the SNDP’s political outfit BJDS or otherwise is serious triangular contests in about 30 seats.
Any poll pundit would agree that vulnerability about 20 per cent seats is something no political outfit can afford, whether it be the UDF or the LDF.