​Back in the saddle: On the Congress win in the Kerala Assembly polls

Riding a massive anti-incumbency wave, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)returned to power in Kerala on May 4, ending 10 years of its being in the political wilderness. After an unprecedented defeat in 2021, the alliance worked systematically for a comeback, winning four bye-elections, the general election in 2024 and the civic-body polls last year before storming back into the State Assembly through deft electioneering and collective effort that sought to capitalise on surging resentment against the functioning of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan. The BJP reopened its account, securing three seats, finishing second in six and clinching a substantial share of votes in pockets in north, central and south Kerala, redrawing the electoral landscape. Its low vote share notwithstanding, the party is doubtless growing, albeit incrementally. To be fair to the Left, which received a debilitating blow, the outgoing government embarked on a path of growth, filling infrastructure gaps, soliciting private investment and pursuing sustainable industries without forgoing its Leftist thrust on welfare and public governance, despite facing fiscal embargoes and pocket veto by inimical Governors. While Left supporters acquiesced in its political economy, many could not digest the lack of accountability and the overbearing, if not dismissive, demeanour of the CPI(M)’s senior leadership. The Left tried to claim what was seen as an emerging Hindu vote base through events such as the Global Ayyappa Devotees’ Meet, even while selectively targeting the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) for presumably being in concert with the forces of political Islam. The IUML employed everything in its armour to hand a crushing defeat to the Left, not just in Malappuram, its stronghold, but also in other parts of the State. Rebellion broke out in the rank and file of the Left ahead of the elections over issues of nepotism and the concentration of power in a single person bestowed with a cult status, which the UDF leveraged. It led to the fall of some decades-old Left citadels, with a cascading effect elsewhere as well.

Back in the saddle, the immediate task before the Congress and the UDF will be to stay true to their slogan of being a team and finalise a cabinet with a popular and efficient leader. A historic mandate of 102 seats, also counting the independents it backed, should inspire the alliance to form a government that is accessible, competent and grounded. The period between polling and counting saw senior Congress leaders draw public ridicule for an unabashed display of a lust for the chief ministerial post, to the dismay of the party high command and the allies. Democracy would be better served if the Congress acted responsibly, with the leaders setting aside personal ambitions for the larger good.