THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF on Saturday snatched victory from the UDF besieged by scandals and allegations of graft while the BJP, which is a marginal player in state’s bipolar politics, made some notable gains in the local body elections.
While the LDF secured a clear victory in grama panchayats bagging 551 of the total 941, the UDF got 362 and the BJP 14. In block panchayats too, the LDF maintained a clear lead winning 89 seats against the UDF’s 62.
The two fronts bagged seven district panchayats each while the LDF overcame the UDF’s traditional supremacy in municipalities by winning 44 of the 87 seats. The UDF got 42 while the BJP bagged the lone Palakkad municipality.
In the corporations, the LDF secured clear victory in Kollam and Kozhikode and the UDF in Ernakulam. The verdict in Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur and Thrissur was hung. While the LDF reinforced its supremacy in Kozhikode and Kollam, in Kannur the UDF rebel is the deciding factor.
In 2010, the LDF had 348 grama panchayats, 88 block panchayats, six district panchayats, 17 municipalities and three corporations.
The BJP made significant gains in Thiruvananthapuram corporation bagging 34 wards. Though the BJP tally increased at the cost of the LDF, the UDF candidates ended up with a few hundred votes in these wards.
The BJP opened its account in Kozhikode corporation with seven seats. While the SNDP helped the BJP make its presence felt, the former could not make any major gains. Though the BJP-SNDP combine had been touted as the beginning of the third front, the showing has not been that impressive.
Apparently, one of the factors which did the UDF in was the poll- eve verdict of the Vigilance special court allowing further investigations into the bar bribe case against Finance Minister K.M. Mani and also questioning the Vigilance director’s interference in the case. A section of Congress leaders shared the perception that the soft line towards the BJP-SNDP combine undermined the UDF’s prospects.
The Congress leaders tried to put up a brave face. UDF convenor P.P. Thankachan attributed the defeat to the bar bribe case. Congress Working Committee member A.K. Antony apparently shared the view and said there were undercurrents towards the fag end of the polls.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran said the UDF base was intact. Opposition Leader V.S. Achuthanandan termed the verdict as a tight slap on the face of Mr Chandy and a befitting reply to the tainted government and the UDF’s soft approach towards the BJP- SNDP combine.
Pomblai Oruma, the tea plantation women workers’ group, which fought a valiant ten-day strike for better wages in the plantation sector in Munnar, bagged a couple of seats in Idukki, while 20- 20, an independent group, secured victory in Kizhakkambalam. The High Range Samrakshana Samithi also bagged some seats in Idukki district.
In Malappuram, the Muslim League’s policy of hegemony led to the UDF losing ground in five municipalities and many grama panchayats.
Some of the prominent candidates who lost the elections include former chief minister E.K. Nayanar’s daughter Usha Praveen in Kochi corporation, former minister M.V. Raghavan’s daughter M.V. Girija in Kannur corporation, LDF’s mayor candidate for Thiruvananthapuram, Jayan Babu, UDF’s mayor candidate Maheshwaran Nair and Congress leader Leno Jacob in Kochi.
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