Kerala Local Body Elections: UDF Outshines, Left Party Declines
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Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 11 (NationPress) The Congress-led UDF Opposition in Kerala maintains its momentum in the electoral arena.
In the recent 31 by-elections conducted across various local bodies in the state, results released on Wednesday showed that the Congress-led UDF secured 17 victories, while the CPI-M-led Left managed 11, and the BJP-led NDA triumphed in three wards.
The Congress-led UDF has successfully reclaimed four seats that were previously occupied by the Left.
As a result of their 17 wins, the Congress-led UDF is set to regain governance over three panchayats located in the districts of Palakkad, Idukki, and Thrissur.
This winning trend follows the performance seen in the April Lok Sabha elections, where the UDF captured 18 out of 20 Lok Sabha seats, with the BJP and CPI-M each winning one seat.
Subsequently, in last month’s three by-elections, Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi achieved a remarkable victory at Wayanad, surpassing her brother’s margin from 3.60 lakh to 4.10 lakh votes.
Similarly, in the Palakkad Assembly by-election, the winning margin for the Congress candidate increased dramatically from around 4,000 votes to over 18,000 votes.
In contrast, the margin for the CPI-M candidate in the Chelakkara Assembly constituency diminished from over 39,000 votes to below 13,000 votes.
While the victories in Wayanad and Palakkad were anticipated, the widening victory margins and the decline in the CPI-M candidate's margin at Chelakkara have raised alarm bells for the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left government.
Although the Left attempted to project confidence by claiming that the UDF merely retained their seats, internal discussions within the CPI-M have revealed criticisms directed at Vijayan's governance style.
In a show of appreciation for the UDF workers, Leader of Opposition V. D. Satheesan remarked that this victory signifies what lies ahead for the upcoming local body elections next year.
“The populace has recognized that the Vijayan government poses a significant burden on the state and its constituents. For some time now, the Opposition has asserted that the public will take action to express their dissatisfaction with Vijayan’s misrule, and the recent electoral results corroborate this sentiment,” stated Satheesan.
