ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by J PrabhashSubscribe to J Prabhash

Changing Voting Behaviour in Kerala Elections

In Kerala, a state with its time-tested social and political tradition which seeks to bind all sections of people together, irrespective of religion or caste, the emergence of the National Democratic Alliance as an alternative to the two mainstream political fronts had its repercussions among a section of the minorities. The fluctuation in the voting preferences signals the crisis the Left Democratic Front is facing. Except for the extremely poor, all other socio-economic groups, including Dalits, Other Backward Castes, the lower classes and the younger generation, are highly volatile and are changing their political preferences, depending on the unfolding social reality.

Kerala Civic Polls 2015

In the November local body elections in Kerala, the Left Democratic Front emerged victorious, and the Bharatiya Janata Party made some headway, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front came a cropper. Tainted with corruption and riven with factionalism, the UDF could not combat a resurgent left. The BJP's alliance with the leading Ezhava organisation, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, did help the party in improving its performance, but the alliance did not work as well as had been expected.

Kerala : CPI(M)'s Muslim League Dilemma

The relationship between CPI(M) and the Muslim League in Kerala has been replete with ambiguity. While ideological compulsions have forced the CPI(M) to keep the League at bay for the most part, the collaborative/adversarial politics of Kerala has forced it to consider allying with the League from time to time. The current imbroglio created by the party's state secretary and the state chief minister publicly favouring a tie-up with the League is the latest reflection of the dilemma.

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