US EditionA Shift in Kerala: UDF Triumphs in Local Polls, LDF Faces Backlash
The UDF captured key rural and urban bodies including LDF strongholds, with factors like scandals, voter shifts, and economic pressures influencing the outcome, officials said.
- Recent local body results show the Congress-led United Democratic Front secured victory ahead of the state Assembly elections due in April next year, ending a decade of Left Democratic Front local dominance.
- Opposition campaigns amplified controversies such as the alleged Sabarimala temple gold-theft scandal and shifts among Muslims and Kerala Congress -aligned Christians, while anti-incumbency burdened Pinarayi Vijayan's government after nearly 10 years.
- The Left emphasised welfare measures such as monthly pension Rs 2,000 for 49 lakh beneficiaries and monthly assistance Rs 1,000 for women from below-poverty-line families, but pandemic-era aid failed to secure voter support.
- Despite setbacks, the Left Democratic Front still held an edge in seven of 14 district panchayats, while a recently launched CPI social-media campaign heralding a third Vijayan regime backfired.
- Economic and local grievances such as neglect of traditional sectors like cashew and coir production and wildlife attacks in a quarter of the 941 village panchayats, plus contested communal claims involving Jamaat-e-Islami and IUML, shape the Assembly fight.
12 Articles
12 Articles
'Democracy can't function...': BJP's 'vote chori' jibe at Rahul Gandhi over UDF's win in Kerala civic polls
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday took a dig at Rahul Gandhi over Congress-led United Democratic Front sweeping the local body elections in Kerala and wondered by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is not questioning the election machinery in the country now. In an X post, BJP's Amit Malviya said whenever the results are not in opposition's favour, Rahul Gandhi blames the EVMs and alleges 'vote chori', but raises no such questions wh…
Nothing right for the Left in Kerala local body polls. What does it mean for 2026?
The Kerala local body election results signal a clear shift ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, with the Left facing widespread erosion, the Congress-led alliance staging a major resurgence across urban and rural Kerala, and the BJP expanding its footprint.
A Shift in Kerala: UDF Triumphs in Local Polls, LDF Faces Backlash
A Shift in Kerala: UDF Triumphs in Local Polls, LDF Faces Backlash In a political shake-up, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) achieved a notable victory in Kerala's local body elections, signaling a potential shift in power dynamics within the state. KPCC president Sunny Joseph expressed confidence, stating that the anti-incumbency sentiment against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist…
Verdict shows people of Kerala want accountable governance: Kharge, Rahul hail UDF local poll triumph
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) on Saturday projected the Kerala local body election results as a strong endorsement of its politics, with senior leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge hailing the mandate while launching a sharp attack on ...
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