Kerala Election Results is a “photo-finish”

The BJP which contested in all the 140 assembly seats did not get even one, even though they had a 10-12 per cent vote share and gallup polls indicated a chance of opening a state account with three seas.

Prominent winners in Kerala this time are: outgoing Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Opposition Leader Oomman Chandy, PCC Chief Ramesh Chennithala, Muslim Leagure Leader P.K. Kunhali Kutty, CPI-M leader Suresh Kurup. Three of the outgoing Achuthanandan cabinet lost the polls.

The Congress High Command had placed high hopes on winning the Kerala elections. Both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul had campaigned in Kerala, and tickled on the age of Chief Minister Achuthanandan who is already 86 years old. That forced Achuthanandan calling Rahul an “Amul Baby” of the ‘butterly ads’.

The razor-thin majority the Congress-led front secured has dampened the earlier enthusiasm of the UDF partners. Mr Oomman Chandy, the prospective Chief Minister said the outcome of the elections was much below the expectations. PCC Chief Ramesh Chennithala said the “formation of the government is to be examined”. CPI-M sources said the victory for Congress led coalition was only a “technical one” and not a “moral one”.  

The CPI-M though had factional rivalries, managed to put up a united show by winning 45 seats in the 140 member assembly. The Congress got only 38. The All India Muslim League presented an impressive performance by winning 20 seats. Two of Kerala’s Communist rebel parties led by Mr M.V. raghavan and Mrs Gauri Thomas, did not get any seat this time. JD (S) and RSP managed to win few seats. More than 50 Muslims, including five women, belonging to different parties have won this time.

Kerala is the harbinger of emerging political shapes in India. It was the first place in the world where a Communist government came to power through ballot box in the 1950s under the chief ministership of legendary E M S Namboodiripad. It is also the state that demonstrated that a group of parties in a coalition could agree on a minimum programme of ruling and administration.  The state has a record of changing the political colour of government every five years. Kerala is also the first state where the muslims reaped the benefits of parliamentary democracy through political coalitions with mainstream parties.  

This time, the Congress led UDF was sure to get an impressive win in Kerala. Both in the last Lok Sabha elections and subsequent polls to the local bodies, the UDF had presented an admirable show. But their hopes of a repeat win during the Assembly elections was checkmated by the CPI-M Chief Minister Achuthanandan who became an icon of the masses though his campaigns against corruption and misdeeds. Achthandnan almost reached his assurance of breaking the five-year term pendulum swing for any ruling coalition in the state by reaching three seats short of a clear majority for the Left front.

It is a popular perception in Kerala that Achuthanandan would have won the assembly elections had the polls been conducted a fortnight later. That is because his popularity ratings had gone up much higher after he took up his campaign and fast demanding a central government ban on the ‘Endosulphan’ pesticide that maimed or killed many in the southern states.