Thiruvananthapuram: The resounding victory of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala’s local self-government elections has triggered a fierce political offensive against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), with Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan accusing the CPI(M) of sliding from minority appeasement before parliamentary polls to majority communalism thereafter. Satheesan said the election outcome reflected a clear public rejection of misrule, arrogance and ideological drift under the Left government.
Addressing the media after the results, Satheesan described the verdict as the biggest victory achieved by the UDF in recent years, attributing it to unity among its constituent parties and growing public trust. He said the UDF had evolved into a broad political platform representing diverse social groups, adding that the latest success was a continuation of the momentum gained in previous by-elections. According to him, “Team UDF” has emerged as the most credible alternative political force in Kerala.
Satheesan squarely blamed the LDF’s defeat on deep public resentment against the government, coupled with what he termed dangerous communal experimentation. He alleged that the CPI(M) first encouraged minority communalism until the parliamentary elections and later shifted towards majority appeasement, a move that ultimately benefited the BJP rather than the Left. “The CPI(M) has walked the same path as the BJP. The beneficiary of this strategy was not the Left, but the BJP,” he said, adding that the ideological methods once associated with EMS Namboodiripad no longer resonate with today’s Kerala.
Reacting to the outcome, AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said the verdict was a clear rebuke to arrogance, conceit and administrative failure. He described the results as a powerful UDF wave and a warning shot to the ruling front. Venugopal alleged that the government had lost touch with ground realities and accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of disregarding public sentiment, particularly on sensitive issues such as Sabarimala. He asserted that the UDF’s resurgence marked the beginning of a larger political shift that would be reflected in the next Assembly elections.
Venugopal further alleged that the CPI(M)’s political compromises had indirectly strengthened the BJP in Kerala. He claimed that the Left’s stance on issues involving the central government, including infrastructure projects and policy support, exposed an ideological vacuum within the CPI(M). “The credit for enabling the BJP’s rise in key urban centres goes to the CPI(M),” he said, accusing the party of abandoning its traditional principles and distancing itself from common people’s concerns.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala echoed similar sentiments, calling the election result a strong warning to the LDF. He said the people had decisively rejected price rise, continuous rule marked by arrogance, and the government’s handling of Sabarimala. Chennithala pointed out that the UDF had succeeded in breaching traditional Left strongholds and termed the verdict comparable to the public mood witnessed during the 2019 elections. He also alleged irregularities in voter lists in some regions, noting that even there, the CPI(M) suffered setbacks.
UDF Convener Adoor Prakash declared that a clear UDF wave was sweeping Kerala and said the results were the prelude to victory in the Assembly elections. He urged party workers to celebrate responsibly and prepare for the next political battle, asserting that the UDF would not retreat from its stand on corruption allegations, including the gold smuggling case. He also claimed that Congress had made significant progress in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and warned of a possible CPI(M)–BJP understanding in the capital in the future.
Taken together, the local body election verdict has not only strengthened the UDF’s political confidence but also intensified its attack on the ruling Left, framing the results as a public mandate against communal politics, governance failures and ideological contradictions. As Kerala moves closer to the Assembly elections, the outcome has set the stage for a sharply polarised and high-stakes political contest.