Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

UDF makes a break with the past

Thiruvananthapuram: The United Democratic Front (UDF) has every reason to feel proud about its electoral performance given its record in the previous elections to the panchayats and the civic bodies.

The victory has been even across the three tiers of panchayats, which many perceive as a vote against the Left Democratic Front's rule at the State and the local levels.

The victory, by and large, maintains a pro-UDF trend witnessed during the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and the subsequent Assembly byelections. Kollam district is, perhaps, the only exception with the Opposition front way behind.

The UDF went into the elections with reservations about delimitation of wards and the voters' list and apprehensions about bogus voting. But the results show that all these have been misplaced. Similarly, its misgivings about its chances with 50 per cent of the seats reserved for women appear to have been baseless, more so when the coalition appears to be the major beneficiary of this reform.

Though the counting of votes in Kozhikode district will be held only on Sunday, the UDF has gained by the political shifts that took place in a year with the entry of the Socialist Janata (Democratic) into its fold and the merger of the Kerala Congress(J) with the Kerala Congress(M).

In Wayanad, the Socialist Janata (Democratic) has contributed much to its victory, but a clear picture will emerge only when votes are counted in Kozhikode.

The election results in Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur indicate that the UDF has benefited from the consolidation of the Catholic community behind it. In Malappuram, parts of Kannur and Kasaragod, the UDF has benefited from the consolidation of Muslim votes.

However, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala said the UDF had polled secular votes on account of the communal card played by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which had alienated large sections of people.

The most significant aspect of the elections is the inroads that the UDF has been able to make into the grama panchayats, cornering nearly 55 per cent of them.

“This does not represent an incremental increase, but a paradigm shift,” said the Communist Marxist Party leader C P John. Reservation of 50 per cent of the seats for women has proved to be beneficial to the UDF, he said.

Most of the UDF partners are happy at the way the election results have worked out for them.

The Kerala Congress(M) has done well in Kottayam and Idukki districts, with K.M. Mani claiming that his party has made its presence in urban local bodies as well.

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