In the first electoral test after coming into power in Keralam, ruling Congress-led UDF on Tuesday suffered a setback in the by-elections held to 38 divisions in various local bodies.

Of the 38 divisions/wards, United Democratic Front (UDF) had been in power in 22. However, the ruling alliance lost three seats in the by-election.

Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF), which had 15 seats in the 38 divisions that went to the by-election, increased its tally to 18.

NDA partner Twenty-twenty retained a seat.

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

The by-elections were held on Monday, with voter turnout recorded at a tepid 58.81%, as against an almost 80% seen in the April Assembly elections.

Keralam has 2,3576 wards/divisions under the three-tier local body system. Hence, the by-election held to 36 seats cannot be seen as a dominating mandate on the government, which has completed four months in office.

However, the result assumes relevance as it was the first electoral test of the UDF after it won the Assembly elections, winning 102 out of 140 seats in May this year.

The by-elections to the local bodies were necessitated after these seats fell vacant following the resignation of the sitting elected members. A few seats fell vacant after sitting local body members contested the recent Assembly elections and won.

Story continues below this ad

Congress lost a sitting ward in Chittoor municipality in Palakkad district, which had been represented by Sumesh Achuthan before he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. In Kottayam district panchayat, the UDF’s ally, Kerala Congress (J), lost a division where a by-election was held after the incumbent Vinu Job was elected to the Assembly from the Changanassery constituency.

Since assuming office in May, the V D Satheesan government has launched several popular steps such as introducing free travel facility for women in the buses run by the state-run transport corporation.

At the same time, the government has landed in several embarrassing controversies over disagreement with the alliance over policy matters such as liquor.

Besides, the government also faced accusations of accommodating the “Sangh Parivar agenda”, delayed payment of welfare pensions, shortage of medicines at government hospitals, power supply disruptions, disaster management, and of late, regarding hiring of private choppers and vehicles by the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues for official functions.