 "Assembly election")
Ahead of the April 26 Lok Sabha election in Kerala, the political scene in the southern state is buzzing with debates on various key national issues that have the potential to sway voter sentiments significantly.
The upcoming elections are poised for a heated contest as critical issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), electoral bond controversies, Manipur's unrest, and human-animal conflicts in the state dominate the electoral landscape, setting the stage for a showdown between the CPI(M)-led LDF, the Congress-led UDF, and the BJP-led NDA.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has a considerable sway in Kerala's politics, is facing heavy scrutiny over many issues including the central agencies' probe into Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter's IT firm to the recent allegations of violence against the Left student organsiation, SFI.
However, with its staunch opposition to the CAA, the stern secular stance opposing the BJP and the long list of development projects and achievements, the Left party expects the support of the progressive segment of the electorate along with the minorities.
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The campaign of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) projects the grand old party as the viable alternative to resist the surge of the BJP at the national level. The UDF hopes such a campaign will help it win elections in Kerala where nearly 50 per cent of voters belong to minority communities.
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The UDF and the youth outfits of its partners including the Youth Congress and Youth League of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) organised several protests across the state against the alleged misrule of the CPI(M)-led LDF.
The Left, on the other hand, argued that the UDF failed in garnering public support as it was evident from the thin crowd at its various protest programmes.
The factional feud, the lack of coordination and the fight between the KPCC chief K Sudhakaran and the Leader of Opposition, V D Satheesan, local Congress leaders joining the saffron party among others have made the the poll battle tough for the grand old party in the southern state.
The Congress-led alliance had secured 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
However, that trend was immediately reversed in the subsequent local self government institution polls and the state Assembly elections.
On the other hand, the BJP which has once again pinned its hopes high to bag a few seats from Kerala for the first time, has fielded two union ministers-- V Muraleedharan and Rajeev Chandrasekhar from the state.
It has also nominated actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi from Thrissur Lok Sabha seat constituency banking on his popularity.
The saffron party has already brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi twice to the constituency last month and expects to deploy all their might in the southern state this time.
The violence in Manipur allegedly targeting Christians and their churches has put a hindrance to the BJP's bid to reach out to Christian community in Kerala, whose support is considered crucial for the party to end its electoral drought in the state.
The Christian communities here have expressed their concerns over the matter during their meetings with BJP leaders and central ministers.
The saffron party has tried to address their concern, meeting the community leaders more often and trying to convince them that the violence in the northeastern state is not a communal one but due to the rivalry of the tribal groups.
The issue of human-animal conflict has, meanwhile, emerged as a major point of discussion recently among the voters of forested districts in Kerala.
While the Left has been vocal in advocating for conservation and sustainable development measures, a stand which the Congress also supports partially, the BJP has blamed the state government saying it lacks political will to implement the provisions of the central Acts to deal with the wild animal menace.
The Congress party on the other hand blames both the state and the central government for the rise in human-animal conflicts.
The Left is trying to wrestle a few seats from the UDF banking on its achievements in governance. However, shortage of funds has halted many of the social welfare projects including the distribution of pension.
The Left dispensation has been able to successfully bring the issue of alleged financial strangulation by the centre to the forefront by moving the Supreme Court which has ruled in favour of the state.
While the UDF has fielded almost all sitting MPs except in Thrissur, the Left party has introduced senior leaders including K K Shailaja, Thomas Isaac, Elamaram Kareem among others into the fray.
The Kerala's political landscape has long been dominated by the LDF and the UDF, shaping the state's governance for decades.
However, the ascent of the BJP-led NDA, particularly under Narendra Modi's leadership, presents a formidable challenge to these established alliances in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The LDF comprises major partners such as the CPI(M), CPI, and Kerala Congress (M), while the UDF includes the Congress, Muslim League, and various regional parties. The BJP-led NDA is bolstered by the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), backed by the leadership of the SNDP Yogam, representing the influential Ezhava community.
