Kerala local body elections 2020: What worked for LDF and what didn’t for UDF

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 16: The LDF's move to get the Kerala Congress (Mani) into its fold appeared to have paid off in the Kerala local. Body elections 2020.

Prior to the elections, the Kerala Congress (Mani) broke away from the UDF. The LDF with the help of the KC (M) has been able to make fresh gains in districts like Kottayam and Pathanamthitta. The LDF had also inducted the Loktantrik Janata Dal into the coalition.

The UDF did not perform to its expectations. Despite a series of corruption charges and a fiery campaign against the government in the state, it was not able to make much of a dent on the LDF's prospects.

This election witnessed an emergence of smaller groups such as the Thiruvananthapuram Vikasana Munnettam, V4Kochi and the SDPI. Their emergence in the urban areas appear to have eaten into the vote share of the UDF. On the other hand the UDF managed to retain its support base in corporations of Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

The performance by the Congress in the elections could increase the chances of factional feud. The party has failed to retain some of its bastions like Alappuzha, which happens to be the home constituency of Congress general secretary, K C Venugopal.

Results at 11 am showed that the LDF was ahead in 103 blocks, UDF in 48 and NDA in one. In the Gram Panchayats, the LDF was leading in 454 of the 941 seats. The UDF was leading in 368 and the NDA in 31. The others were leading in 51.