Editorial: What went right for Left

Chennai

If reactions to election results were read in terms of sighs, then that to the Kerala local body elections may well appear this way. A big sigh of relief for the ruling Left Democratic Front. A frustrated sigh of disappointment for the Congress-led United Democratic Front. And a wistful sigh of what might have been for the BJP and its allies.

But it is the LDF’s impressive victory that deserves to be noted first, coming as it has following its trouncing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where it won only one of the State’s 20 parliamentary constituencies and even this by only a proverbial whisker. The LDF had reason to be worried that the recent controversies could seriously affect its performance. This included the gold smuggling case, which was traced to those close to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his office. There was further embarrassment when strongman and state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had to resign following his son’s arrest in a money laundering case. Another of his sons faces a rape complaint.

With Assembly elections scheduled next year, it was important for the LDF to demonstrate it retains a strong political hold on Kerala, at a time when this has all but vanished in other parts of the country. It succeeded in wresting seats in traditional UDF strongholds in central Kerala, thanks to the CPM’s accommodation of the Kerala Congress (M) led by Jose K Mani in the LDF. Unless there is an unexpected turnaround in political fortunes, the LDF looks a clear frontrunner in the Assembly elections. Congress may take some comfort in the fact that the results of local body elections can vary dramatically from those to the legislature. While there is truth in this, Congress has failed to exploit the opportunity presented by the allegations of corruption in the higher reaches of government. Also, it ran an entirely negative campaign, drawing very little attention to what it can bring to the table.

On paper, the BJP has improved its performance both in terms of seats and vote share, it remains a poor third in the electoral landscape. While it managed to wrest the Pandalam municipality, a victory that signalled the Sabarimala issue has some resonance in the areas near the temple, its performance in places where it has base such as Thiruvananthapuram showed no real gain. Whether the LDF’s softening position on the Sabarimala issue – now it says that women activists need a court order to enter the temple – has helped it to neutralise the BJP’s campaign is not clear. But it cannot be ruled out.

A day is a long time in politics as the saying goes, and the local body result cannot be a basis for drawing firm conclusions about how next year’s elections will pan out. But the LDF has reasons to go into the campaign feeling buoyed by its performance.