The recently concluded local body elections in Kerala have marked a significant moment in the state’s political landscape, sending clear signals ahead of the Assembly elections due in April next year.

The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has emerged stronger, wresting control of several rural and urban local bodies long dominated by the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has been in power for a decade. Simultaneously, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made an unexpected breakthrough in the capital, Thiruvananthapuram, ending the Left’s 45-year hold on the municipal corporation.

While the results cannot be simply extrapolated to predict Assembly poll outcomes, they reveal shifting voter sentiments and highlight challenges facing both fronts in Kerala politics.

Five Factors Behind the LDF’s Setback

1. Sabarimala gold scandal

One of the key issues that seemingly worked against the LDF was the alleged gold theft from the Sabarimala temple, in which a senior CPI(M) leader has been implicated. This controversy hit the Left particularly hard in central and southern Kerala, regions where the party traditionally commands a substantial Hindu vote base.

Both the Congress and BJP capitalised on the scandal during campaigning, projecting it as evidence of moral and administrative failure within the ruling dispensation. Despite Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s efforts to portray the Congress as reliant on right-wing support historically, the CPI(M) found itself on the defensive, struggling to retain its core constituency.

2. Lacklustre Left campaign

The LDF’s electoral strategy, heavily reliant on highlighting its development and welfare achievements, failed to resonate this time. The Left government has, over the years, expanded social security measures—raising monthly pensions for nearly 49 lakh beneficiaries, providing financial assistance to women from below-poverty-line families, and implementing targeted housing and poverty alleviation schemes.

While these welfare........

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