With the declaration of the local body polls in the State, a different kind of battle will take place this time in an atmosphere of political turbulence.
The elections to be held in three-phases are in close proximity to the Assembly polls in April/May where both fronts eye a victory. Unlike in the past, all main players in the three coalitions are facing some sort of a crisis mired in fierce contention and acrimony.
Incidentally, the COVID-19 pandemic has injected some uncertainty into the campaigning process making it risky for all fronts.
The ruling CPI(M), which is leading the Left Democratic Front (LDF), finds itself in ignominy with its State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan coming under a cloud of suspicion in several ongoing cases framed by the Central agencies.
The party leadership is struggling to make convincing clarification to the cadre after the arrest of Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son Mr. Balakrishnan, in connection with Bengaluru-based celebrity drug racket and the arrest of M. Sivasankar, suspended Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, in the gold smuggling case. An unknown separatism seems to have seeped into the grass-roots level.
At the same time, the Congress party which is leading the United Democratic Front (UDF), without its two constituents - Jose K. Mani faction of the Kerala Congress (M) and the JD(U) turned SJD turned LJD, is fighting a battle within itself. Being in the Opposition benches, the differences of opinion among leaders has not far emerged into the public sphere.
The arrest of Manjeswaram MLA M.C. Kamaruddin of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in the gold jewellery scam is also likely to impact local body polls and cast a shadow in the Assembly elections in Kasaragod district.
Against this fraught political background, the BJP, another contender attempting to make inroads in the State bipolity, is deep in trouble with over-ridden factionalism. Several senior and middle-rung leaders of the party are disillusioned with the State leadership. The pervasiveness of groupism apparently has tickled down to the lowest units of the party.
Whatever be the outcome of the local body polls, it will have a huge bearing on the Assembly polls.