Strong UDF show in Kerala local polls, BJP takes capital
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Local body polls often signal the changing course of Kerala politics. On Saturday, political Kerala witnessed one of the biggest comebacks of recent times, with the Congress-led UDF scripting an authoritative victory in the two-phase local body elections held on December 9 and 11, and the ruling LDF nearly washed out. Riding on an anti-incumbency wave, the UDF garnered a stupendous victory, winning four out of six municipal corporations, seven district panchayats, 54 municipalities, 79 block panchayats and around 505 grama panchayats. The LDF lost four sitting municipal corporations, as many district panchayats, more than 100 grama panchayats, half of the block panchayats and around 20 municipalities. The election results, widely perceived as a precursor to the assembly polls just a few months away and the writing on the wall is clear: despite all its inherent weaknesses, the Congress front appears to be on a comeback path. However, what will go down in history as the biggest takeaway of the 2025 local body polls is the saffron front clinching the prestigious Thiruvanathapuram city corporationa victory that has the potential to fuel the BJPs growth in Kerala in the coming years. Egged on by the BJP national leaderships long-standing desire to win the city corporation in the state capital, the BJP-led NDA wrested the civic body from the LDF, winning 50 out of 100 wards. Kerala local body polls: UDF makes history, sweeps panchayats, corporations; NDA secures Thiruvananthapuram The NDA which was struggling to find a foothold in state politics, has managed to proved itself a formidable contender to both fronts, with its comprehensive win in a municipal corporation, a first for the saffron party in the state. In an election that was supposed to be a referendum on a decade of CPM-led rule under Pinarayi Vijayan, the LDF was banking mainly on the recent hike in social welfare pensions to win the peoples mandate, while its cyber team focused on the Mankootathil issue. The voters, however, were in no mood to take the bait, and chose to hand the Left a resounding defeat. On the other hand, the UDF and the NDA based their campaign on the Sabarimala gold theft, which seems to have made an impact on the faithful as well as the discerning public.
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