It is curious to note that a section of the Hindu vote has seamlessly transferred between the BJP in the 2019 & 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the Left in the 2020 & 2025 local body polls.
The Left hit the ground running with early candidate announcement, with UDF having to play catch-up. From BJP’s perspective, this election is a quarter-final or semi-final.
The biggest setback for Congress was the exit of K Karunakaran and his faction in 2005. Many of his erstwhile cadres ended up becoming foot soldiers for the BJP.
The five promises, announced by Congress's Rahul Gandhi last month, include Rs 1,000 monthly allowance for female students, health insurance scheme & interest-free loans for youth.
Despite its new avatar, Kerala’s culture remains rooted in socialistic principles. Yet there is growing acceptance to ‘privatisation with participation', observers say.
The leader targeted incumbent legislator U. Prathibha in Alappuzha’s Kayamkulam constituency for her 'incompetence' as an MLA, saying she was using her 'beauty & eloquence' for re-election.
The BJP’s emergence as a potent third force has altered many equations. Kerala’s politics is no longer bipolar, even if the UDF and the LDF may still claim it is.
We now live in a world order that will keep shifting. India must use this window. This also means we remain disciplined enough not to be knee-jerked into reacting to what Pakistan sees as its moment in the sun.
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