Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said the anger against the government did not reflect fully in the local body polls.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) had little to cheer. At the same time, the Congress was not “satisfied” by the party’s performance at the hustings.
People had not whitewashed the LDF’s corruption or given the ruling coalition the nod for a second innings in power.
Local issues, neighbourhood-level acceptance of candidates, and family and social links had informed voters more than State and national concerns.
Kerala had confined the Bharathiya Janata Party to a few pockets. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had no relevance in the elections. The fight was primarily between the LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF).
The UDF had improved its vote share compared to 2015. It controlled over three Corporations, several Municipalities, and more than 375 grama panchayats. The party had not lost its traditional support base.
PAC meeting
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) would meet on Thursday to discuss the fallout of the poll. The party viewed the dismal performance of the Congress in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation seriously.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapaly Ramachandran said the party would discuss Jose. K. Mani’s defection to the LDF and issues raised by other coalition partners in the aftermath of the elections.
Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the Congress had dominated in all divisions of the Puthupally Assembly constituency. The Congress party had grown stronger. Its base was intact. The local body poll results would not guarantee a win for the LDF in the Assembly elections in 2021.
