The victory comes just a few months before the May, 2021 state elections in which the LDF is hoping to retain power.
Bus stop bench in the city of Kochi, Kerala India (photo via twitter)
On Wednesday, December 16 the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, India won a large victory in the state's local and municipal elections. The leftist coalition consists of a number of parties, the two biggest being the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
According to the India Express:
The LDF won five of the six Municipal Corporations; the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which had won two the last time, won only one...
The Left made major advances in the District Panchayats, winning 10 out of 14; the score was 7-7 the last time. Of the 152 Block Panchayats, the Left won 104, relegating the UDF to just 44.
And of the 941 Gram Panchayats, the LDF won 514 as against the UDF’s 377. The NDA won 22 Gram Panchayats.
The UDF is the Congress led centrist United Democratic Front.
The CPI(M) issued a statement stating:
The people of Kerala have recorded their approval of the performance of the LDF government. The people have appreciated the work done by the state government and the local bodies in tackling the serious floods of 2018 and the Covid pandemic.
The people have given a strong rebuff to the negative campaign by the Congress-led UDF and the BJP of levelling baseless allegations against the LDF government and its leadership, backed by sections of the rightwing media and the unscrupulous usage of central agencies by the BJP Central government.
The victory comes just a few months before state elections scheduled for May 2021 in which the LDF is hoping to retain power.