People's Democracy

KERALA

 

LDF has Strengthened its Vote Base: Pinarayi

 

N S Sajith 

 

ASSERTING that the LDF had not suffered much of a loss in the just concluded local body elections in Kerala, CPI(M) Kerala state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, has said the LDF has actually strengthened its vote base and popular support.  

 

Addressing a press conference in Thiruvanthapuram on the local body election results on November 1, Vijayan said the results show that the popular base of the Left and Democratic Front (LDF) has become stronger when compared to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. He cited how the LDF has secured 10,64,000 votes more than the previous Lok Sabha elections. Thus the LDF was short of the UDF by only 6.87 lakh votes in these local body elections. The LDF is confident enough to overcome this difference in the forthcoming assembly elections, he said.  

 

“The LDF’s vote base is intact. However, the front could not achieve the results that we had expected to,” said Vijayan. In the 2005 local body election, the LDF secured 49.22 per cent votes. In this election, the LDF secured 42.32 per cent votes. This would mean a loss of 6.90 per cent. The LDF allies and outside supporters had contributed much in the 2005 election by securing 9.18 per cent votes (Karunakaran – 4.67; JD (S) – 2.37; Kerala Congress (Joseph) – 1.79; INL - 0.35). If it were an automatic subtraction of their share, the percentage of votes LDF must get this time would have been only 40.04 per cent. On the contrary, the actual percentage of vote in this election shows an increase of 2.28 per cent in the vote share of the LDF. In the 2009 Lok Sabha election, its vote share was only 38.40 per cent, he reminded. 

 

While answering a question regarding the intervention of religion in politics, he reiterated that this is hazardous to the society and Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil himself warned in this regard. He said although there was a consolidation of communal forces in this election, the LDF had not lost the whole of Christian votes. Its performance in the Christian dominated coastal areas has improved, he said.  

 

Pinarayi Vijayan attributed the increase in the vote share of the UDF to the orchestrated effort of communal and casteist forces. The UDF was not hesitant to join hands with the communal forces in various districts and its leaders fielded common candidates along with the BJP. They even received the support from SDPI, the political platform of Muslim fundamentalists. A convict of the infamous hand chopping case of a lecturer, which stirred outrage among all right thinking people in the state, also won with the help of Congress. Professor Anas, who is imprisoned in the hand chopping of Professor T J Joseph of Newman college in Thodupuzha, has won from Vanchinad division of Vazhakkulam block which falls in Eranakulam district. The Congress openly supported the convicted SDPI candidate.

 

Pinarayi Vijayan also termed the concerted campaign about the achievements of BJP in these election as baseless. The number of village wards that were won by BJP in 2005 election was 375. This time it lost 26 wards and ended up with a tally of only 349 village wards. The vote base of BJP has also fallen sharply to 6.31 per cent as against its vote share of 12.11 per cent in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. 

 

LDF'S IMPRESSIVE

VICTORY IN KOZHIKODE 

The people of Kozhikode district presented a remarkable victory for the Left and Democratic Front in the recent local body election in Kerala. The ruling front has made a comprehensive victory over UDF in Kozhikode Corporation, and Vatakara, Koyilandi municipalities. As the counting was completed on November 1, the LDF retained the control of Kozhikode district panchayath and most of the blocks and village panchayats.  

 

The historic port city once again witnessed a significant victory of LDF that won 41 out of 75 seats in the Corporation. The UDF managed to win 34 seats. The BJP has lost their lone seat which they had won in 2005. In the district panchayat, the LDF wrested 14 seats. In blocks, the LDF’s amazing performance saw it gain 9 out of 12. More than half of the villages in the district will be run by the LDF candidates. The CPI(M) on its own has a simple majority in the corporation with 39 seats. With this result, the tally of corporations won by the LDF in the state rose to three now. Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam are the other corporations won by the LDF. By winning the Kozhikode district panchayat, the LDF now has the control of 6 district panchayats out of 14.   

 

In Vatakara municipality, the LDF has a thumping majority in all municipal wards. It got 27 seats out of 47, out of which CPI(M) alone got 24 seats. In Koyilandi municipality, the LDF won 27 out of 44 and CPI(M) alone got 26 seats. The counting of votes in this district had to be postponed to October 31 due to a case pending in Kerala High Court regarding the ward delimitation in Velam panchayat.  

 

Though the LDF has improved their performance as compared to the Lok Sabha elections held in 2009, the right wing media tycoons and UDF leaders keep on propagating that the LDF has suffered a huge setback in this election. But the befitting reply of the people of Kozhikode categorically justifies the claims of the LDF.  

 

Like in other districts, the election scene in Kozhikode also witnessed an open alliance of the UDF and the BJP. In most of the Corporation wards, the LDF stood in opposition to the common candidates of this unholy alliance. In many parts, SDPI, the political platform of Muslim fundamentalists, also extended a helping hand to the UDF candidates. The socialist Janata, a splinter faction led by MP, Veerendrakumar, the Indian National League, and Jamat e Islami – all supported the UDF candidates in almost all areas in Kozhikode. The person who was expelled from the CPI(M) also extended support to the UDF nominess in many villages. In the last elections, the LDF enjoyed the support of INL and Veerendrakumar factions. Thus the glory of LDF’s victory over this mahajot in Kozhikode has immense significance.