Left appears set for an electoral lifeline in Kerala - Hindustan Times
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Left appears set for an electoral lifeline in Kerala

May 02, 2021 10:37 AM IST

While both the CPI (M) and the Communist Party of India, the chief constituents of the LDF, currently have a lower tally than their score in the 2016 elections, and the Congress appears to be gaining seats, some of the other Left constituents were gaining seats at the time of filing this report

In what could be an electoral lifeline for the beleaguered Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)-led Left forces, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is leading in 80 out of 140 seats in Kerala. If the LDF eventually wins this election, it will break a 40-year-old tradition in the state of switching parties and alliances in power after every five years.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan. (File photo)
Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Pinarayi Vijayan. (File photo)

While both the CPI (M) and the Communist Party of India, the chief constituents of the LDF, currently have a lower tally than their score in the 2016 elections, and the Congress appears to be gaining seats, some of the other Left constituents were gaining seats at the time of filing this report.

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The Kerala elections are crucial for both Congress and the CPI (M). The Congress has been hoping to win back the coastal state after it swept the 2019 Lok Sabha elections there with 16 out of 20 seats. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad in Kerala in 2019 and won the seat. Party leaders claim that Gandhi’s presence turned the tide for Congress in Kerala that year.

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For the Left, Kerala is their only real hope of winning a state election. In West Bengal, they fought in alliance with Congress but are likely to emerge just as a marginal force. It is also out of power in Tripura, their other erstwhile bastion.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, too, hopes to make further inroads into Kerala. In the last poll, it opened its account for the first time with one legislator. This time, the party hopes to win more seats.

Kerala results might also impact the internal dynamics of both the Congress and the Left. Gandhi’s loyalists hope that a win in Kerala will strengthen his hand ahead of the organisational elections and further sideline the senior leaders, who wrote a letter last year demanding sweeping changes in the party.

For the CPIM-led Left, a win could stem the continuous slide of the Leftists and the Left leaders can regain at least some importance in the national politics.

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