Thiruvananthapuram: Seeking a third term in the Assembly poll next year amid anti-incumbency, the ruling LDF in Kerala is attempting to set the tone for the upcoming local poll, which is being seen as a mini assembly election. With an unexpected bouquet of incentives announced last week, the LDF has branded its work in the local bodies as the “blueprint of a new Kerala”, declaring the state free of extreme poverty.
The ruling front has already begun door-to-door campaigns and rallies in the wards to highlight the government’s various development initiatives and to show confidence for the upcoming elections. Back-to-back incidents of infighting in the Congress and the absence of a clear chief ministerial face in the Opposition have further boosted the LDF.
“Kerala witnessed developmental initiatives that have never been seen in its history over the last four years. We will take all of that to the people and win their votes,” said senior CPI(M) leader R. Nazar, adding that the campaign will be centered around Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Kerala has 1,200 local self-governing bodies, 21,893 wards, 941 village panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 87 municipalities, and six corporations.
Of these, the LDF had won 514 village panchayats, 108 block panchayats, 11 district panchayats, and five municipal corporations in the 2020 local body elections. In the subsequent Assembly election, the Left coalition won 99 of the 140 constituencies.
However, things weren’t easy for the Left in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, where it secured only one of the 20 seats, while the UDF secured 18. The Lok Sabha elections also witnessed the BJP securing its first-ever Lok Sabha seat from Thrissur, emerging as a third force in Kerala’s traditional bipolar politics.
The upcoming local body elections are seen as a curtain raiser for the Assembly polls which are to be held early next year. While the LDF is hoping for a hat-trick victory and return to power, the election is also crucial for the Congress, which has been in opposition in the state since 2016. The election commission is expected to announce the dates for the elections next week.
Notably, the Kerala government on Saturday (Kerala formation day) convened a special Assembly session and announced itself free of extreme poverty. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state had reached the point after four years of hard work, during which 64,006 families were lifted out of extreme poverty. The Opposition, however, staged a walkout, saying that the claim was ‘fraudulent’. Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the announcement was an ‘election stunt’ to gain votes.
The assembly session came two days after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Wednesday, made a series of benefit announcements worth over Rs 10,000 crore, including a hike in monthly welfare pensions to make it Rs 2,000 for the elderly, widows, and agricultural laborers. The CM also announced a new Women’s Security Pension Scheme that will provide a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to women from families holding AAY (Antyodaya Anna Yojana/yellow card) or PHH (Priority Household/pink card) ration cards, and to trans women aged 35–60, who are not beneficiaries of any other social welfare pension, among others.
State-based political analyst P.J. Vincent described Wednesday’s announcements as a ‘masterstroke’ by the Chief Minister that was unexpected by both the Opposition and the public. He noted that while it’s too early to discuss Assembly elections, the LDF currently has the upper hand in the campaign as the Opposition lacks a popular leadership figure.
“UDF may hope to benefit from anti-incumbency, but they still lack a wave of support. Ideology and leadership matter,” Vincent said.
A ‘New Kerala’ led by Pinarayi Vijayan
As the state heads into crucial polls, one of the Left’s main campaign strategies has been the ‘New Kerala’ vision, designed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself. The term encapsulates the many initiatives under the same name that touch upon different sectors, through which the government aims to elevate Kerala’s status to that of a ‘developed nation’.
One such initiative, the Nava Kerala Mission (New Kerala Mission) was introduced in 2016 to address issues in four key social sectors—health, education, agriculture, and housing—through the involvement of local self-governments and schemes such as LIFE, Haritha Keralam, and Aardram, focusing on housing, cleanliness, and healthcare. The LDF had also conducted a massive outreach campaign—Nava Kerala Sadas—in November 2023, where the chief minister and his cabinet interacted directly with constituents across all 140 Assembly constituencies.
Earlier this year, at the CPI(M)’s state conference in Kollam, Vijayan presented the blueprint of the ‘New Kerala’ plan, highlighting development since 2016, including growth in investments, completion of National Highway 66, and expansion of industrial and IT sectors.
Since it came to power, the LDF government has been aggressively pushing for investment, which culminated in a two-day Invest Kerala Global Summit at Kochi in February, which received Expression of Interest (EoIs) for investments worth Rs 1,52,905.67 cr from 374 companies. Similarly, the widening of the over 600-km-long National Highway 66 is also expected to be complete by December.
“New Kerala was something people accepted. In the last Assembly polls, even the BJP’s K. Surendran said he would accept the Vijayan government if the GAIL pipeline and NH-66 were completed. Now, IT exports, startup growth, and investment-friendly policies are changing the old perception that Kerala was a graveyard of industries. The state is truly heading toward a New Kerala,” V.K. Sanoj, state secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation of India, told ThePrint.
Nazar said the party is preparing manifestos for each panchayat, using public opinion gathered through written requests and suggestion boxes. He said the blueprint will later be discussed with senior party leaders, after the manifesto will be published. “It’s the CM who made all of it happen. Whatever we promised, we were able to do,” he added.
Party leaders said the LDF is currently holding discussions on candidates and seat-sharing in the alliance, after which the campaigns will gain momentum.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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