Kerala local body polls: Pinarayi pips rivals focusing on welfare

@the_news_21

Thiruvananthapuram: Welfare matters over competitive politics in times of pandemic. This is the bottom-line of the splendid victory scored by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) over the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent multi-tier local body elections in Kerala, where the ballot for the state assembly is just five months away.

Powered by the CPI(M), which has well-oiled organizational machinery stretching down to the grassroots, the LDF had always maintained an edge in civic polls over the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in the bipolar polity of Kerala. What makes the LDF win outstanding this time around is that it has happened when it is facing the heat of the sensational ‘diplomatic baggage’ gold smuggling case. The scandal, which saw a high profile bureaucrat in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in the docks casting a shadow over the government, is the grimmest ever image-crisis confronted by any Left government in the state.

The case opened a can of worms of hubris, sleaze and brazen abuse of power, allegedly with the connivance of power-wielders in high-rungs of authority. The central investigation agencies including Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Customs are still struggling to unravel in a complex web of the racket that operated the smuggling by penetrating to the inner recesses of power. The case has cornered much of the Kerala-centric legacy and social media space since mid-June. Added to the deep discomfiture of the Left was the arrest and arraigning of the son of CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in Karnataka drug case. Balakrishnan was forced to step down from the key post, though the party had attributed it to health reasons.

The magnitude of the gold smuggling case had been so telling that even an unsentimental and sturdy leader like Vijayan appeared a bit shaken as the investigation unfolded. There were stirrings even in the state unit of the party, which he has been holding in the firm grip for nearly two decades. But instead of admitting defeat and going down, the war-scarred strongman mustered all his strength to battle out and make the way forward through adversities.

Being a home-grown politician, he knew well that it was vitally important to win the support and goodwill of the masses in testing times. In times of great difficulty like the stretch-out Covid-19 pandemic, the best way to remain unscathed is to roll out a slew of relief and welfare measures. This exactly was what Vijayan has successfully done.

To start with, he ensured that rice and provisions reached millions of homes through the Public Distribution System (PDS) network. This guaranteed that no one slept starved even when the Corona-caused lockdown and job-losses were the severest. The Government also saw that the social security pensions, which bring a little cheer to millions in the state, especially the old and uncared, is paid without default, despite the severe stress on the state coffers.

A no-nonsense taskmaster, he prevailed upon the cabinet members that every department lived up to the situation. The goodwill this approach created among the masses was amply reflected in the local polls. The CPI(M) workers in the length and breadth of the state built a narrative on the welfare and converted into votes at the hustings.

In normal circumstances, the unprecedented image-crisis of the CPI(M) from the gold scandal would have come as handy for the UDF. But the results of the poll were deeply disappointing as the LDF lifted the majority of local bodies from village panchayats to city corporations. The Congress is yet to recover from the shock.

The defeat has fuelled dormant factionalism in the party, and leaders are still clueless about the way forward. They know that it would be puerile to put up a brave face, hiding the crippling organizational weakness. Many believe that complete organisational overhaul alone can make the Congress battle-ready for the assembly polls, due in May.

Also Read: Centre’s move to name biotech campus in Kerala after Golwalkar sets Left, Congress fuming

The BJP, which has been far more vehement in its attack on the government than the UDF over the gold scandal, is also sulking as its performance in local body polls fell far short of the ambitious goal it. Ever since self-indulgent and bumptious K Surendran took over the leadership about a year back, factional tussles in the state BJP have assumed fratricidal dimensions.

The local poll results have further exposed political limitations and serious organizational weaknesses of the party. The state leadership seems to have woken to the reality that bravados and clarion calls will not yield electoral gains.