THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala goes to assembly polls today amid spike in Covid-19 cases. Pinarayi-led Left govt looks to buck trend, extend term in office. UDF confident of regaining power, NDA hopes to spring surprise
Going into one of the most unpredictable of elections to the Kerala assembly, coming as it does against the backdrop of a slew of allegations and counter arguments, the leading fronts are wary of undercurrents eating into their vote bases. While pre-poll surveys have predicted the Left Democratic Front would retain power, the confidence expressed by its leaders of the people’s mandate favouring the front hardly runs deep.
Beyond the optics, the Left knows the battle is a tough one.At the same time, the Communists in Kerala now harbour dreams of continuity in power. Since 1991, whenever it appeared the Left would retain power, the front suffered a slip between the cup and the lip. In 2011, the V S Achuthanandan government lost by a mere whisker. However, as the state goes to polls on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has set his eyes on scripting history.
Hopes are high of bucking the state’s trend of alternate re-election of the UDF and the LDF.
While the Opposition UDF has unsheathed all its weapons in its political arsenal, the BJP-led NDA is optimistic of increasing its vote share and representation.The Opposition has been harping on charges against the government like the gold smuggling case and the poor handling of the Sabarimala women’s entry issue. The Left has pinned its hopes on welfare measures, but the Pinarayi factor remains its trump card.
UDF has high expectations of comeback; eyes on NDA
“The Left Democratic Front is a collective. Obviously, since it is I who occupy the chief minister’s post, the focus is on me. But we needn’t look at the Left front as one that kowtows to an individual-centric leadership,” Pinarayi told ‘Express’. It is evident that losing the elections would raise questions on his so-far-unchallenged leadership within the party. Contrary to the usual scenario, there is a general sentiment among the masses, especially at the grassroot level, that the government stands a good chance of getting a second successive term. That would definitely add to the Left votes, observed political commentator N M Pearson.
He felt the final result would depend on a minute fraction of swing votes. Unmindful of the survey predictions, the UDF has high expectations of a comeback. After an authoritative win in 2001, A K Antony had cited a genuine unity within the coalition as a strong reason, along with certain ‘forces’ voting against the Left (an apparent reference to Hindutva organisations) and a general sentiment against the then government with a large section of voters casting an issue-based franchise. This time, Antony has predicted a comeback as the UDF feels the factors still hold good. The biggest takeaway from this poll, nevertheless, would be how the BJP would fare.
The saffron party wants to increase its seat count from the one it received in 2016 to at least three, or even five. Both the UDF and the LDF have raised allegations against each other of nurturing a hidden alliance with the saffron party. On Monday, Pinarayi reiterated that there is indeed a panstate understanding between the UDF and the BJP. “Going by the current scenario, there’s definitely a tacit understanding between the two. The BJP goes for only those regional tieups that will benefit the saffron party in the long run. There is a clear understanding to ensure BJP’s success in certain seats. We hope to make a dent in the BJP’s vote-share,” he said.