Shock treatment for Left in Kerala

By bagging 16 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has delivered an unprecedented drubbing to the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

In 2004, the UDF had won a lone seat with the Congress drawing a blank. This time, the Congress won 13 seats and its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the Kerala Congress(M), two and one seats, respectively.

The massive victory margins have been taken as an indication of the voters’ disenchantment with the infighting in the ruling front over seat-sharing and the lacklustre performance of the LDF government.

Four of the winning UDF nominees recorded a majority of over 100,000 votes. Among them are Union Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahmed from Malappuram and Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram.

The result is seen more as an anti-CPI(M) verdict rather than a positive endorsement of the UPA’s policies and programmes. Among the many factors that led to the drubbing of the ruling front is the CPI(M)’s questionable electoral pact with Abdul Nazar Madani’s PDP, accused of having extremist links.

The alliance, forged ostensibly to improve the CPI(M)’s hold among the Muslims, boomeranged as it invited a backlash from the majority community. Muslims solidly voted for the UDF. Even Christians opted for the UDF as the community has been nursing certain grievances against the Communists, who are accused of promoting atheism.

The Church was at the forefront of the election campaign against the LDF. Muslims and Christians together form about 40 per cent of the state’s population.

The violence unleashed by the CPI(M) cadres in several parts of the state also came in handy for the Congress.