Kerala will go to polls in a single phase on April 6, announced Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Friday. The results of the elections will be declared on May 2 With the announcement of the poll schedule, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect in Kerala. The last date for nomination is March 12 and for scrutiny of nominations is March 20. The last date for withdrawing nominations is March 22 and counting will be on May 2, 2021. The Malappuram Lok Sabha bye-poll election will also be held on April 6.
In view of the ensuing pandemic, several restrictions have been put in place. Door-to-door campaigning has been limited to five people at a time while roadshows with only five-vehicle convoys allowed. Postal voting will be allowed for persons over 80 years of age. The expenditure limit for candidates in Kerala has been capped at Rs 38 lakh.
In Kerala, the election for 140 Assembly seats will be fought between United Democratic Front (UDF) and Left Democratic Front (LDF), with the National Democractic Alliance also in the fray. Though the UDF lost its one of its major allies Kerala Congress (M), Mani C Kappan’s Nationalist Congress Kerala joined the alliance after he and some of his followers left the NCP, an ally of LDF.
The ruling LDF is led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and also comprises the Communist Party of India, Janata Dal, KC (M), Congress Secular, Indian National League, Kerala Congress (B), Lokthantrik Janatha Dal, Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Kerala Congress (Skaria Thomas) are its allies.
The LDF recently got a shot in the arm when the Kerala Congress Mani group (KC(M) ), which had won 6 seats in 2016 elections, joined the alliance. Though Mani C Kappan's faction jumped to the UDF, the NCP remains with LDF.
The UDF comprises of the Indian National Congress, Indian Union of Muslim League, Kerala Congress (Joseph) group, Kerala Congress Jacob group, Revolutionary socialist party (RSP) , Communist Marxist Party (John) (CMP), All India Forward Bloc, Bharathiya National Janata Dal(BNJD) and Bharathiya Jana Sena (BJS). The UDF’s prominent ally Kerala Congress (M) has split into two, following the death of party founder KM Mani. KM Mani’s son’s Jose K Mani’s faction has joined the LDF, while PJ Joseph’s faction remains with the opposition alliance.
The NDA alliance is led by the BJP with Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), Shiv Sena (SS), Kerala Kamaraj Congress (KKC),Kerala Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM), Democratic Social Justice Party (DSJP), Lok Janshakti Party, AIADMK,Kerala Congress (Thomas), Kerala Congress (Nationalist), Janata Dal United, Socialist Janatha Bharathiya Karma Sena (BKS), Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Kerala People's Party (KPP), Praja Socialist Party (PSP) part of the alliance.
Kerala has largely alternate between the two fronts. However, in 2021, pre-poll surveys carried out by two news channels gave the LDF the edge, giving the ruling alliance a chance to create history by returning to power for an unprecedented second term. The LDF, however, has come under opposition’s attack for various controversies, ranging from the gold smuggling case to the most recent deep sea fishing controversy.
One pre-poll survey also predicted that the NDA, which had in 2016 only won one constituency, would get 5 seats in the upcoming polls.
In 2016, the LDF swept to power, securing 91 out of 140 seats in the Assembly elections. The UDF could get only 47 seats. The NDA opened its account in the Assembly for the first time with the victory of O Rajagopal from Nemom constituency.
CPI(M) emerged the single largest party with 58 seats, INC bagged 22 seats, CPI got 19 and IUML won18 seats. In 2016 LDF vote share was 43.35 %, while UDF secured 38.84, NDA's share was 15.1%.
A total of 824 Assembly constituencies will go to polls in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Assam. In Kerala, voters will cast their votes at 40,771 polling stations. Across these states and UT, 18.68 crore voters will cast votes at 2.7 lakh polling stations, said CEC Sunil Arora.