The ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and principal opposition party Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala are exploring options of dropping the proposed by-polls to two Assembly seats and postponing the upcoming local body polls.
While the short duration remaining for the present government and the Covid-19 scenario are being cited as reasons, it seems that the pressing reasons are other political interests.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself sought support of opposition parties to press the election commission to drop the by-polls to two Assembly seats citing that the newly elected members would only get only around five-month term as general election and due in next year. But the UDF made a counter demand to postpone the upcoming local body polls citing the Covid-19 scenario. BJP is favouring dropping the Assembly by-polls, but wants the local body polls. Chief Minister is holding an all-party meeting on Friday to explore a political consensus on the matter.
A political reason prompting the left-front to drop the Assembly by-polls could be the current unfavourable political scenario. The government is now facing a series of serious allegations pertaining to gold smuggling, housing scheme with UAE agency's aid and CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son's links with drug-peddlers.
Generally, ruling front used to get upper hand in Assembly by-polls and both the seats, Kuttanad in Alappuzha and Chavara in Kollam, to which by-polls are proposed owing to death of MLAs are sitting seats of left-front. Hence losing the polls to these seats would be major setback to left-front and that trend might impact the general polls to follow. The Congress is generally favouring the by-polls as they feel that the present political atmosphere is in their favour and a victory now could have its positive impact in the general elections to follow.
When it comes to local-body polls, generally the left-front used to get an upper hand than the UDF. Hence the UDF is playing a bargaining strategy by insisting that the local body polls should be also postponed if they want to agree for dropping the assembly by-polls.
The BJP is also of the view that Assembly by-poll was unnecessary as the newly elected member would get only around five months. However, the saffron party wants to hold the local body elections in time as it is in power in many local bodies and witnessed a surge in Thiruvananthapuram corporation as well as many local bodies during the last local body polls.
BJP state president K Surendran alleged both LDF and UDF were fearing to face elections and hence attempts to put off Assembly by-polls and postpone local body polls were being made bodies.
State Election Commission source said that the local body elections could be postponed only for a maximum of six months taking into account the pandemic. The term of the current local bodies are ending in November.
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