New Delhi: Amidst continuous defeats, Congress received some good news from Kerala, where in the local body elections, the Congress-led UDF alliance trounced the Left-led LDF alliance, giving it a ray of hope for the Assembly elections to be held four months later. This victory will provide a major boost to Congress workers. The trend in Kerala has been that whoever wins these local elections has an easier path to the Assembly elections. Congress has lost two consecutive Assembly elections in Kerala, in 2016 and 2021. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party sprung a major surprise by winning the municipal corporation election in Thiruvananthapuram, the stronghold of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. This is the first time that the lotus has bloomed in Kerala by capturing a major seat—that of the state capital. The BJP’s performance was also decent in Thrissur, the area of Union Minister Suresh Gopi. In a ward of Thrissur, a Muslim candidate from BJP, Mumtaz, surprised everyone by defeating the Congress candidate Sindhu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the victory in Thiruvananthapuram, posted “Thank you Thiruvananthapuram” on his X account and said that this mandate received by the BJP and NDA was a historic moment in Kerala politics. “The mandate the BJP-NDA got in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is a watershed moment in Kerala’s politics. The people are certain that the development aspirations of the state can only be addressed by our Party. Our Party will work towards this vibrant city’s growth and boost ‘Ease of Living’ for the people,” he wrote. Meanwhile, the Congress’ victory over the Left may sour its relations with the comrades in view of the upcoming Assembly elections. The Left parties may distance themselves from Congress in Delhi. Assembly elections are to be held in Kerala in April. The Left parties are currently an important component of the I.N.D.I Alliance. The Left parties accepted the defeat and talked about introspection. They also said that they would win the Assembly elections. Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal, who belongs to Kerala, said that they would oust the Left parties from the state in April.
Voting in Kerala took place in two phases on November 11 and 13. It was a triangular contest between the UDF, LDF, and NDA. The Congress-led UDF secured a resounding victory, while the performance of the Left alliance was disappointing. The Congress defeated the Left in corporations, panchayats, and municipalities. Of the six municipal corporations, the UDF won four—Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur and Kannur—while the Left won only one, Kozhikode. Thiruvananthapuram went to the BJP, ending the Left’s 30-year hold on the corporation. In the municipalities, the UDF won 54, the Left 28, and the NDA 2 out of a total of 84 municipalities. In the district panchayats, the UDF won 59, while the Left secured 30, and the NDA one district panchayat. In the block panchayats, the UDF won 1,063, the Left 823, while the NDA won 50. The UDF also won 7,451 gram panchayats, the Left 6,137, and the NDA, 1,363.
These elections in Kerala are a morale booster for both Congress and the BJP. It is a particularly hopeful victory for the Congress. After this victory in the local body elections, the Congress will now put all its efforts into the assembly elections. This victory is also a significant achievement for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. If she can lead the party to victory in the Assembly elections after this win, she will receive all the credit. The party was losing all elections while Rahul Gandhi was MP from Wayanad. This victory in Kerala will also bring relief to party general secretary K.C. Venugopal. Even though he is involved in central politics, if the party wins the assembly elections, Venugopal will be a strong contender for the Chief Minister’s post.
