Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3 Breaking from tradition, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has taken an early lead ahead of the Kerala local body elections, announcing its first list of 48 candidates for the prestigious Thiruvananthapuram Corporation -- well before the official poll notification.
The move, rare for a party often criticised for late starts, signals an assertive and proactive strategy by the Congress to regain lost ground in the state capital, long dominated by the Left.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Monday flagged off a UDF campaign rally that will cover all 101 wards of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Veteran Congress leader and former state minister K. Muraleedharan, son of late Chief Minister K. Karunakaran, is leading the UDF’s campaign in the city.
In a surprise move, the party has fielded former MLA K.S. Sabarinathan in the Kawdiar ward, located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram. This marks the first time in Kerala that a former legislator has been fielded in a municipal corporation contest, underscoring the Congress’s intent to mount a serious, high-profile challenge.
The CPI-M has held sway over the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for several terms, with the BJP emerging as the principal opposition over the past two election cycles, while the Congress had been pushed to a distant third.
The State Election Commission is expected to announce the local body poll schedule soon, covering nearly all of Kerala’s 1,200 local self-government institutions -- including 941 gram panchayats, 152 block panchayats, 14 district panchayats, 87 municipalities, and six municipal corporations.
Only Mattannur Municipality, which follows a separate electoral cycle, will not go to polls this time.
In the 2020 local body elections, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) secured 40.2 per cent of the vote, followed by the UDF with 37.9 per cent, and the BJP-led NDA with 15 per cent.
During that election, the Left won 314 gram panchayats, 198 block panchayats, 11 district panchayats, 43 municipalities, and five corporations, while the UDF bagged 321, 38, three, 41, and one, respectively. The BJP bagged 19 gram panchayats and three municipalities.
Last month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a meeting with state BJP leaders, had set a target of 25 per cent vote share for the NDA in Kerala -- a statement sharply criticised by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who warned the people against what he termed a "dangerous agenda".
Widely seen as the "semi-finals" ahead of next year's Assembly elections, the upcoming local body polls are expected to serve as a crucial barometer of grassroots political sentiment in Kerala, with all three major fronts -- the LDF, UDF, and NDA -- gearing up for a high-stakes electoral battle.
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