LDF marches to biggest-ever win in Kerala Assembly elections

People's favourite: Chief ministerial front runner V.S. AchuthanandanIt was a landslide that everyone knew was coming. Barely an hour after the counting began for the 140 assembly seats in Kerala, it was clear that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) would record its best-ever performance in the state.It was equally clear that the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) would be in for its worst electoral drubbing. The tallies of the last elections were almost exactly reversed. While the UDF won 99 seats and the LDF, 40 last time, this time the scorecard reads the opposite: the LDF has won 98 seats, leaving the UDF with 42.That the UDF citadels, including those of the formidable Muslim League (ML), were under serious threat from the Reds was known. The surprise lay in the virtual rout of the ML, a key constituent of the UDF, even in its stronghold-the Muslim dominated Malappuram district. For the first time in 50 years, the ML has suffered a humiliating defeat in this district and in other Muslim-dominated areas at the hands of a rampaging CPI(M). Among those licking their electoral wounds are its powerful leaders like party Secretary P.K. Kunhalikutty, E.T. Mohammed Basheer and M.K. Muneer - the last two were ministers in the UDF government - who had never lost an election in the past. Other Congress-dominated districts in central Kerala, like Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur and Kottayam also witnessed a massive LDF onslaught.2006 Kerela Elections resultClick here to EnlargeIn one sense, the poll verdict is in line with the local tradition of the two rival fronts coming to power alternatively. But a striking feature of the poll is the humiliating defeat suffered by key UDF leaders who had never had a taste of losing.Among them are six ministers: Muneer; K.R. Gouri (87), a legendary Communist leader and agriculture minister; M.V. Raghavan, also a former CPI(M) leader and cooperation minister; the RSP's Babu Divakaran, labour minister; T.M. Jacob of the Democratic Indira Congress (DIC-K)and R. Balakrishna Pillai of Kerala Congress (B), both of whom had won eight consecutive elections. K. Muralidharan, president of DIC(K) and son of K. Karunakaran was trounced by a CPI(M)-backed independent. More bad news for the fledgling DIC(K) was the defeat of all but one of its 18 candidates. The unforgiving voters were, however, kind to the outgoing Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who secured a victory from his native Puthuppally for the ninth time in a row, with a record margin to boot. And as in the past, the BJP found itself once again so near and yet so far-O. Rajagopal, former Union minister, was defeated in Palakkad, a constituency where the BJP had hoped to make its debut in the Kerala Assembly.If the top leaders of the UDF stand disgraced, those in the LDF are celebrating- led by the CPI(M)'s V.S. Achuthanandan, the pre-poll Opposition leader and chief minister frontrunner, who won by a margin of 20,000 votes. Though the party was driven by factionalism in the run-up to the elections, the magnitude of the CPI(M)'S victory suggests that the intraparty feuds did not influence voters who lined up to back the 84-year-old VS. But the victory of several candidates from the VS faction as well as from the rival state Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan's camp might lead to tension at the time of electing the chief minister.Achuthanandan remains the favourite of the people, if not the Politburo. He was not in the first list of the CPI(M) candidates and it was only after a massive public outcry that the Politburo, for the first time ever, reversed its own decision and fielded the veteran. A decision on the new chief minister will be taken by the Politburo. The Vijayan faction, which controls the state committee, is likely to put forward the name of Paloli Mohammed Kutty, in view of the Muslim community's overwhelming endorsement of the CPI(M). "Kutty's candidature as the first Muslim chief minister from any party other than the ML could strengthen the party's bonds with the Muslims and seal the League's fate forever," said an observer. Should that happen, people's favourite Achuthanandan would be third time unlucky. He was a frontrunner for the chief minister's post in the 1996 elections which the LDF won, but he himself lost his seat. In the last elections, while he managed to win, the LDF was routed. If history repeats itself this time, it would be as a farce.Published By: AtMigration Published On: May 22, 2006 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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LDF marches to biggest-ever win in Kerala Assembly elections

The LDF marches to its biggest-ever win in the Assembly elections, but wrangles within the CPI(M) could spoil the party.

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