Kerala local body polls: In Kozhikode Corporation, UDF plots a comeback in LDF bastion of half a century

A high-stakes electoral battle is gearing up in Kozhikode Corporation for the civic body elections to be held on December 11, more than a year after conferring the city with India’s first UNESCO City of Literature title.

However, the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is taking advantage of this status in the political arena, using this success as a counterpoint to the anti-government rhetoric of the rival Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This time, an additional division was created, the council’s strength was increased from 75 to 76, and all three camps were encouraged to fine-tune their strategies on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis in the tightly contested urban environment.

Leveraging its long-standing hold on the corporation for nearly 45 years, the LDF enters the race with a clear advantage: they represent four assembly constituencies in the city and two of their representatives are Ministers of State.

Despite Congress leader MK Raghavan being elected MP from the region four times and scoring well even in traditional Left segments, the UDF could not gain a seat in the council. The closest was in 2010 when he won 34 divisions; This would have been considered a victory had it not been for the delimitation made just before the elections and the annexation of the erstwhile Elathur, Cheruvannur and Beypore grama panchayats into the Corporation. Since then, the number of UDFs has decreased to 20 (2015) and 17 (2020).

Now, while the UDF sees this election as an opportunity to break the dominance of the Left parties, the BJP, which currently has seven members, aims to expand their limited base.

LDF’s achievements

LDF is confident that the council’s achievements in the waste management, welfare and health sectors will help the coalition take the wind out of UDF’s sails. One of the key campaign points he highlighted was that Kozhikode rose from 367th to 70th rank in the Swachh Survekshan, thanks to the implementation of ‘AZHAK’, a comprehensive hygiene protocol, while also winning the Vayo Sevana Award for its outreach activities for senior citizens and eventually the Swaraj Award for the best company in Kerala.

UDF’s comeback hopes

UDF, on the other hand, thinks a turnaround is possible, especially after the house number scam that rocked the company in 2022 and involved misuse of employees’ login credentials for Sanchaya software. The council’s involvement in fraud is highlighted as the investigation is still ongoing, while the council passively supports criminals by arranging them to return to service despite their arrest and evidence of corruption. The Congress-IUML combine also alleged that fake documents and seals were used to obtain trade licenses and birth certificates, with allegations of involvement of middlemen.

Candidates

The three major fronts chose their candidates well, offering a heady mix of freshness and experience. These include businessmen, retired government employees, private sector workers, cooperative sector officials, self-employed professionals and local party leaders.

This time, the unconditional status of the Mayor post freed mainstream parties from quota restrictions and allowed them to consider a wider pool of candidates, including experienced councillors. With the mayoral seat open, the names of CPI(M) leader and Deputy Mayor CP Musafar Ahamed on the LDF side and KPCC general secretary Prime Minister Niyas on the UDF were widely discussed during the election campaign.

The Congress party was embarrassed to take a defensive stance after its expected mayoral candidate, film producer VM Vinu, was rejected as his name was found missing in the electoral roll and his legal challenge failed.

The BJP, on the other hand, has pitched itself as a practical alternative on themes like efficient tax collection, transparent tendering and improved basic amenities in sections where the party believes voter fatigue from both LDF and UDF can be checked.