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Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 6 (IANS) The upcoming Thiruvananthapuram corporation elections are going to be a litmus test for all three major political fronts in Kerala – CPI(M)-led LDF, Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA, as the State Election Commission is set to announce the local body election schedule.
Since 2015, there has been a marked change in the political landscape in the state capital, with the BJP-led NDA emerging as the major challenger to the ruling Left, overtaking the Congress.
In the outgoing 100-member corporation, CPI(M) has 52 seats, followed by BJP with 35, Congress-led UDF with 10 and three independents.
However, this time the competition seems to be more open.
Buoyed by the early momentum, the UDF has already announced 72 candidates for the expanded 101-member corporation and attracted attention by fielding former two-time MLA KS Sabrinadhan. His candidature has reportedly energized the Congress base.
For the ruling Left, a series of controversies, including the Sabarimala gold plating probe and confusion over the signing and subsequent withdrawal of the PM-SHRI scheme, have dented its prospects somewhat.
Meanwhile, the BJP is facing headwinds after liquidity issues surfaced in two cooperative banks linked to its leaders and the suicide of a sitting councilor Anil Kumar.
The comments by veteran leader MS Kumar have also highlighted internal uneasiness in the party, which had hoped to capture the corporation for the first time.
A political observer said that “if a hung corporation emerges, a strategic understanding between the LDF and the UDF cannot be ruled out”.
But such an arrangement, the analyst warned, “could give the BJP a new campaign issue ahead of the 2026 assembly elections”.
The State Election Commission is expected to soon announce the schedule for about 1,200 local bodies across Kerala.
Only Mattanur Municipality, which follows a different cycle, will not go to the polls this time.
In the 2020 local body elections, LDF got 40.2 percent votes, UDF got 37.9 percent and NDA got 15 percent votes.
–IANS
SG/DPB