Charges of pol violence, anti-development fail to dent LDF's

Allegations of political violence, charges of being anti-development and anti-prohibition against CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front failed to have an impact among the women dominated electorate in Kerala, which whole-heartedly supported the Left by voting it to power.
An electoral battle which saw a three-cornered contest in most of the constituencies after the emergence of BJP-BDJS (Bharat Dharma Jana Sena), a political party floated by SNDP, an organisation of backward Ezhava community, saw Congress-led UDF bite the dust and lose its vote share.
In contrast, the LDF combine kept its vote bank intact to a great extent as there was only a slight decrease in its vote share.

UDF's intention to woo women voters numbering 1.05 crore, by its liquor policy of total prohibition in the next 10 years failed to impress.
The much talked about BJP-BDJS alliance in Kerala was also a dud. It failed to make any major impact on the traditional vote share but dented the chances of outgoing Congress led UDF that ruled for five years.
BJP could win only one seat-- Nemom and came second in seven other constituencies.

There was a slight decrease in LDF's vote share this time as the Front along with its Independent candidates secured about 40 per cent vote share, a major portion of the 5.3 per cent votes garnered by the Front backed independents, when compared to 45.06 per cent it got in 2011.

In the case of UDF, poll results showed that its vote share came down by a drastic 8 per cent than the 46.3 per cent in 2011.
The drubbing UDF received was mainly due to the severe corruption allegations, including bar and solar scams.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy also came under a cloud with sleaze allegations leveled against him by the prime accused in the solar scam.
Despite all these charges, Chandy believed he would not be hit by the anti-incumbency factor and retain power for another five years. But the Kerala electorate, credited with the highest literacy in the country, thought differently and handed UDF a severe drubbing.

Political observers had predicted that BJP's tie up with BDJS would affect LDF, particularly, CPI-M, as the backward Ezhava community was one of the major vote banks of the Left.
The vote share of the BJP-NDA combine showed an increase
of 14.4 per cent this time against 6.06 per cent in 2011.
This increase, political pundits feel, seems to have eaten into the vote banks of UDF to a large extent and only marginally affected LDF.
BJP got 10.5 per cent (21,29,726) votes and won Nemom. The party came second in seven segments across the 140 assembly constituencies in the state.

LDF won 91 seats--CPI(M) accounting for 58, CPI 19, Janata Dal (S) 3, NCP 2, KC-B, CMP, RSP(L) and Congress (S) one each and LDF supported independents five.
CPI(M), the lead partner got 26.5 per cent vote share (53,65,472 votes) while CPI garnered 8.1 per cent vote share (16,43,878 votes).
UDF won 47 seats--Congress got 22, IUML 18, KC-M 6, KC-J 1.
Congress claimed 23.7 per cent vote share (47,94,793 votes), while its second largest partner IUML received 7.4 per cent vote share (14,96,8641 votes), KC-M 4 per cent, JD-U 1.4 per cent, RSP 1.1 per cent and KC-J 0.4 per cent.