The victory must be particularly sweet and heart-warming for the LDF as it has come ahead of the upcoming and crucial Lok Sabha elections.

In the by-elections held in 23 local body wards, both the LDF and the Congress-led United Democratic Front(UDF) won 10 seats each. One left-backed independent also romped home the winner. The BJP managed to bag only three seats, slipping from its tally of four to three. While the LDF increased its tally from five to 10, the UDF tally fell from 13 last time to 10.

The LDF scored a significant victory when its candidate won the Vellar ward in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the only Corporation ward in the fray, from BJP. Panathura P. Biju of the CPI defeated his BJP rival by a comfortable margin of 151 votes. The LDF also wrested Kalpakanagar in Nedumbassery panchayat (Ernakulam), Pathiyarkulangara in Mullasseri panchayat (Thrissur) and Mammakunnu in Muzhippalangad panchayat (Kannur) from the UDF. In Eruthenpathy panchayat (Palakkad), LDF-supported Independent Martin Antony won the Pidarimed ward which was held by the UDF. The LDF, however, suffered a loss in Kidangara Bazar South in Veliyanad panchayat (Alappuzha) by just one vote!

The UDF, on its part, retained eight of its sitting seats, which included six of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). All the UDF seats that the Front lost were sitting seats of the Congress. The Congress won four and the IUML six for the UDF, while the CPI(M) won seven seats and the CPI three for LDF.

The LDF camp is obviously in a celebratory mood. In his reaction, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the election outcome amounts to a slap in the face of the mainstream media which had indulged in negative portrayals of the LDF. The pro-Right media obviously failed to gauge the mood of the electorate. He also lashed out at media managements for pressuring journalists to write negatively about the Government.

Addressing newspersons, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said the victory in the local body by-elections was a precursor to the big win the LDF is set to score in the Lok Sabha elections. The results showed that the people are appreciative of the Government’s welfare and development agenda. The results also showed that there is no anti-incumbency factor against the Government.

The verdict must set the Congress thinking. Its deafening silence in the face of the Union Government’s financial embargo on Kerala has not gone down well with the people of the State. Although the UDF has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha, they have failed miserably to protect Kerala’s interests. And this popular resentment is bound to go against the UDF in the upcoming parliamentary polls.

The BJP camp is in a state of shock. What is hurting the party in particular is the defeat of its candidate in the Corporation ward, which is supposed to be its stronghold. To hide the embarrassment, the BJP has accused the congress of diverting its votes to help the LDF. The loss cannot but cause grave concern in the saffron camp as it has come in Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha constituency where the party fancies its chances very high.

The big setback to the UDF has come at a time when the front is facing trouble from within, especially from the powerful ally, the IUML. Internal bickerings are taking a heavy toll on the Congress with the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee(KPCC) president and the leader of the opposition (LoP) V D Satheesan working at cross purposes. While Satheesan says talks to resolve the differences with the IUML over its demand for a third Lok Sabha seat are positive, Sudhakaran has rejected the demand outright. This cannot but anger the IUML which is set to take a final decision on the matter on February 27. The Congress finds itself in a Catch-22 situation. If it says No to the IUML demand, the League may decide to go it alone in the parliamentary elections. If it concedes the IUML’s demand, there is bound to be resentment within the party. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is virtually a Hobson’s choice for the Congress. (IPA Service)