Kerala bypolls: CPI(M) says Chelakkara win and ‘improved showing’ in Palakkad belie Congress-BJP claims of public bitterness against LDF

M.V. Govindan says there is no anti-incumbency factor and that Assembly bypoll results are a reliable bellwether of Kerala’s voting behaviour

Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Kerala State Secretary M.V. Govindan said the ruling Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) thumping victory in the Chelakara Assembly bypoll and its “improved” showing in the Palakkad Assembly byelections belied the “hollowness” of the Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) campaign that “a deep-seated and palpable resentment among the electorate” against the second Pinarayi Vijayan government would reflect strongly in the polling booth.

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Speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday (November 23, 2024), Mr. Govindan said the Assembly bypoll results were a reliable bellwether of Kerala’s voting behaviour. He said the bypoll results proved that the LDF faced no unfavourable electoral headwinds and was on course to victory in the 2025 local body elections and beyond.

“There is no anti-incumbency factor as parrotted by the Congress and the BJP and their ideological echo chambers in the right-wing media”, Mr. Govindan said. 

Mr Govindan pointed out that the CPI(M)‘s triumphant candidate in Chelakkara, U R Pradeep, had enhanced the LDF’s vote share in the Assembly segment from 5,000 in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to 12,000 in the current Assembly bypoll.

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In Palakkad, Mr Govindan said the LDF’s independent candidate, P. Sarin, narrowed the gap between the ruling front and the BJP, which had emerged as the race’s runner-up. 

‘Rainbow’ coalition

Mr Govindan said a “rainbow” coalition comprising the Congress, disgruntled sections of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the “Muslim fundamentalist” Jamaat-e-Islami and SDPI had authored the United Democratic Front (UDF) victory in Palakkad.

 “Spite for the LDF and opposition to its development, welfare and progressive secular agenda was the glue that held the shaky and illicit alliance together”, Mr Govindan said.

 He noted that the SDPI did a victory lap for Congress candidate Rahul Mamkootathil before UDF activists hit the streets.

Mr Govindan said the CPI(M) did not rule out the possibility of tactical voting by a significant section of BJP workers against their candidate, C. Krishnakumar.

He pointed out that BJP votes had gravitated substantially to the Congress in Palakkad’s municipal wards. “The BJP collapsed in its urban strongholds in Palakkad. It’s a welcome development, though the Congress benefitted”, Mr Govindan said. 

He said Mr Sarin’s “good showing” had buoyed the LDF’s hopes in Palakkad in future polls. “He is going to be at the forefront of the LDF’s fight to wring Palakkad from the hands of the Congress and the BJP”, Mr Govindan said. 

Published - November 23, 2024 03:22 pm IST