With the dispute between the Kerala Congress (M) factions over power-sharing in the Kottayam district panchayat remaining unresolved, the local body elections, which are just four months away, would prove to be a litmus test for the Left Democratic Front (LDF), United Democratic Front (UDF), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Trends in the local body elections that precede the Assembly elections are usually indicative of voter preferences.
Strife within KC(M)
Maintaining a clear lead is in the local body election is crucial for the LDF and the UDF. Individual performance is also decisive for allies as the power to bargain for Assembly seats largely rests on the performance in strongholds. This is being cited as a prime reason for the uncompromising stance the Mani and Joseph factions in the Kerala Congress (M) had adopted in the case of the Kottayam district panchayat.
For electoral gains, the LDF is banking on the upper hand it gained in the protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the stark differences within the UDF, especially the KC(M), and the schism in the BJP.
Against CAA
The role played by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan by enlisting the support of the Opposition in the initial protests against the CAA had helped the front gain considerable clout in minority strongholds.
The decentralised COVID-19 management model, with local bodies in the thick of action, has also won encomiums for the front.
BJP’s aim
Since this is the first electoral test after a change of guard in the BJP State leadership, onus is on the current crop of leaders to improve the party’s performance.
Local body elections will have to be held in October so that the newly elected committees can come into being by November 11, which is a constitutional obligation.