Kerala Politics

How to Vote in Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections 2021 and What Are the Issues That Are Making Headlines?

About Kerala state elections in 2021. How three fronts UDF, LDF, NDA are fighting to win the state. The issues that are plaguing the state and how to vote this time, various factors.

It is the polling season in Kerala and just hours left for the polling day. As we have discussed in previous articles in-depth regarding its politics, we are here to discuss the issues and factors that are making headlines and which will ultimately decide the winner. Along with that, we will be concluding the article with tips on Whom to vote? How can you decide whom to vote for? etc. This is perhaps the most important article in this series ie. the voice of you voters. We are not here to spread any propaganda or anything but discuss some real issues affecting you and me so that you know what is to be voted for this election. This will be the final article of the Kerala elections 2021 article series.

Recap of the last five years and issues that made the headlines and will influence this election

LDF government has been in the limelight throughout the last five years in the media. For the last five years, this government made headlines not only in National media but also on International Media for various reasons. There were multiple instances it received praise as well as many more where it faced backlash. Just like any govt. there was no shortage of issues, controversies, plus, minus, etc. We can look into them, how govt responded, how the opposition is highlighting them, different sides of the issue and how it will affect you, voters.

Crisis Management

The moment when we hear LDF govt. we can’t miss ignoring the fact that we had to face multiple crises, mostly one big crisis each year. Some will lecture very well on how well it has managed and overcome it while others will show it as a total failure and incompetence. Although as common people, we know that the answer lies somewhere in the middle.

2017 Okhi Cyclone

A cyclone named Okhi hit the Kerala coast in November. Just as expected, there were heavy showers and isolated cases of destruction reported. The government claims to have handled the crisis well.

2018 Nipah Outbreak

Nipah is a virus quite similar to Corona but much deadly and spreads much fast. In 2018 May, cases of Nipah Virus outbreak were reported in Kozhikode. Later it spread into the neighbouring area of Malappuram as well. Nipah was here in India for the third time and for the first time in South India. With the timely intervention of the Health Dept. namely Minister Shailaja Teacher, we can see that the incident was able to be restricted only as an endemic. Minister also won various awards mainly from the UN for the fight against Nipah.

2018 Kerala floods

This is something an average Keralite can afford to forget. It was the biggest flood of the century. Almost all major rivers were overflowing, dams opened, and towns submerged. This event attracted international attention. We saw both National and International help pouring in. The government has done a commendable job in coordinating it. Although we know that lot of NGOs, communities, institutions have also played their individual role in this. Many environmentalists now warn it as a catastrophe that has happened due to unchecked development and ignoring the western ghats. Economically it has brought in damage of Rs 20,000 Cr. Massive loss of livelihoods, homes, businesses, ecological damage have all been reported. The death toll of the hazard remained below 500. How many people received the compensation, how many received the government aid etc. are important question that has gone unanswered.

2019 Landslides

Just like the floods in the previous year, we can see that mini floods happened in those areas which were unaffected in 2018. Hilly areas in Northern districts saw massive landslides, slipping of hilly areas, destruction of residential areas was prominent. Since it was not as big as in 2018, the effort and scale were really small. The government was better prepared and the people had their lessons learnt.

Covid-19 (2020&2021)

A point where the world united to fight tiny microbes. The first in India to be affected was Kerala. From then on the government took everything with utmost sincerity and care. Mostly adapted from the Nipah outbreak. It was also the first state to impose restrictions, initiate a lockdown, monitoring of patients, enforcing quarantine, etc. The government by the means of the fight never restricted the health sector but also mixed it with pandemic time welfare. Along with appropriate testing quarantine, treatment…adequate importance was given to ensure that no one went hungry. Initiatives like free ration, packages, community kitchens etc. were initiated. With daily press briefing, CM also took time every day at 6 pm to address people’s concerns, make important announcements and tally the numbers. Kerala has always been known for its robust healthcare system as well as for the other health-based social indicators.

Despite the massive surge of cases during the second wave which played the spoiler after Onam. We can see that people are expressing extreme satisfaction with government policies and enforcement. Critics on the other hand we can see how the pandemic was an excuse where the centralisation of more power happened in the hands of the Home Depot. The approval of the govt. here suggest that the people believe that the government has done what they could and they had the faith in the system. It need not be confused with whether the government was successful or not.

Legal Issues

Maradu Flat issue

For multiple families in the suburb of Kochi, 2020 was doomsday. As per the SC verdict, five flats that violated Coastal Regulations had to be demolished. It also suggested that the companies which built the flats despite knowing the same should compensate. This case was a headache for all parties. The law was not so clear and even the companies at various points have had received green signal too. The point here is that we need to hereby realise how important the law is and must take steps to prevent harm to the environment.

The government as usual had to comply with the SC verdict and had to do the needful. It showed commendable handling of the situation.

Sabarimala issue

The big issue which shouldn’t have been the issue of importance made unwanted attention and headlines in the entire period. This issue proved that line between equality and religion is thinner than what we perceive. On 28th SC had passed a controversial verdict that allowed women of the age of 10–50 to enter the Sabarimala Shrine reversing the 1991 verdict by the Kerala HC.

The Congress party and BJP-RSS who had welcomed that verdict changed their narrative as soon as protests erupted. The LDF government which took a stance to support and implement the verdict received massive backlash for going against the traditions. The protests and lawlessness that followed for the next five months saw massive politicisation of religion which should never have been.

The government is widely criticised for its hardline stance of inserting verdict down the throat of devotees while the opposition is criticised for its lawless incidents and protests. BJP was the main party that was active throughout the period. Its then President was caught on camera calling to make it a golden opportunity. They deployed foot soldiers in the shrine to drive away women who wished to enter the shrine. As of now, the review petitions of the verdict are now subjudice. A larger bench will examine the role of religious practices and the legality of the same. LDF has now diluted its earlier stance.

In the 2019 elections that followed LDF was almost wiped out and UDF made surprising gains. Although UDF wishes to take credit for Sabarimala, we know that was not the main reason. Now, UDF has gone right of the right to bring in a law that it claims is for protecting traditions (The law is quite vague). There is also no doubt that maximum state funds given for Sabarimala were in this period. An Annadana Mandapam for serving pilgrims with food was also opened in 2017.

Piravom Chruch issue

Kerala has one of the oldest Christain community in the world. There are two factions- Orthodox and Jacobite. There was tension between the two communities on ownership of the Piravom Church. The case went till SC and the verdict requested the church to be handed over to the Orthodox faction. The district administration went ahead and took control of the church despite protest. This issue has far-reaching consequences as Christians are a dominant community in the region of Central Kerala and the winning party needs to win here.

Kerala Police Amendment (KPA Act)

In the name of protecting social media users from online harassment and cyberbullying, the LDF govt. decided to pass a draconian law that would curb freedom of speech and media freedoms. This saw the massive protest on the side of liberals and opposition. As always CM Pinarayi Vijayan was always under attack for his concentration of power and his intolerance of dissent and criticism. After massive outrage and protests, mainly from the side of journalists and media organisation, the government backtracked on it.

Corruption issue

The main highlighted case of corruption was Gold Smuggling Case that was a massive embarrassment for this government. Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair and Sarith Kumar were involved in gold smuggling from Trivandrum Intl Airport in the disguise of diplomatic baggage. They had close ties with CM’s Principal Secretary M Shivshankar, IAS and also with UAE Consulate. This case was a massive embarrassment for the govt. which saw the close involvement of Shivshankar, who is a close aide of the CM. Also, there were lapses on the side of the CM Office. This issue caught national attention and was a big blow for the government. The investigation is ongoing and till now proper involvement of the LDF govt is not known till now.

Contract-based issues

The government had made multiple contracts with private firms and in most cases, it turned out to be a trouble for it. Here are few instances of the same.

Sprinklr Issue

It is an American company that is started by a Keralite and which powers WHO’s COVID-19 graphs. Kerala govt. made a deal with Sprinklr for data collection and visualisation. The opposition leader was quick enough to counter it by claiming that the govt is selling the data of locals to a private company. The govt. after arriving on a backfoot took a step back and cancelled the contract.

Deep-Sea Fishing issue

Became a big revelation in the last week of govt. and also is expected to resonate in the minds of the fisherfolk community. Just like in sprinkler, the govt. made a secretive deal with EMCC, an American company. The opposition brought out the details in the public and even now there is no satisfactory response. As of now, the contract hasn’t been finalised and may not be implemented.

Infrastructure Push

LDF government now plans to make development its main plank for the elections. For that, it needs to highlight various projects that it had completed and we will discuss them in brief.

Kochi Metro

Its first phase was opened for the public in 2017 by PM Modi. Kochi Metro services as a public metro train service for the city of Kochi and its suburbs. Kochi Metro broke several records in the entire period and indeed is a feature-rich service. Its final phase is completed and opened for the public. Now the metro line extends from Aluva to Pettah. In future, it is hoped to get extended to Thripunithra, Airport and Infopark. We can not deny the fact that previous UDF govt. gets the main credit for initiating the construction of the same.

Kochi Water Metro

Along with the metro, there is a plan for a unified city-based transport system integrating everything together. Like, we can see a water metro system being opened where people can travel cheaply via waterways rather than by road.

Kundanoor and Vytila flyovers

These are some of the largest and busiest junctions in Kochi and Kerala as a whole. Building flyovers there would help in decongesting these junctions. Last year these two flyovers were opened to the public. These have now become one of the most important marks of development in Kochi.

Palarivattom flyover issue

This gathered massive attention after corruption was found out in the design and construction of the flyover in Palarivattom junction in Kochi. The UDF MLA Ibrahim Kunju was held responsible for his inaction and his role in sanctioning the construction. Now, LDF govt. has integrated the repaired flyover after the DMRC team had taken the contract for reconstruction.

Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvalla Bypass

Much of these projects were stalled for decades. It was only in recent years, that they have become a reality. Kollam bypass was opened in 2019. It bypasses the busy Kollam city on NH66. The most notable among them was the Alappuzha bypass which has 3 km of elevated highway along with the ordinary bypass road. Thiruvalla bypass although is an achievement for infrastructure isn’t seeing the required results.

Road works

As you know Public Works Dept. comes under the state government and is responsible for the construction and maintenance of state highways. Compared to previous govts. we can see this time that it was proactive in terms of the condition of roads. The quality of construction has significantly improved. Even after the 2018 floods, we can see damaged roads being restored within a short span of time.

Despite this, the district of Ernakulam which houses the city of Kochi lacks good conditioned roads compared to other districts. It also disheartening that MLAs were unable to overcome the political situation and vouch for better roads. Also, we can witness that increase in road conditions haven't improved traffic conditions in any of the urban regions. There was no specific push by the govt. to push public transport other than just adding CNG KSRTC buses and few electric buses.

Gail Pipeline

The Kochi-Mangalore pipeline saw a lot of protest from both locals and environmentalists. This 400+ km long pipeline would carry LNG from the port of Kochi which is the largest in the state to Mangalore passing through 7 districts of Kerala ie. in the northern half of the state. This project was widely criticised by LDF when they were in opposition and later had to be dropped by UDF. Now, when LDF is in power, they have completed it and wants credit for the same. They have forgotten how they went against the project. With the completion of the project, sub-projects like Kochi City Gas will now be a possibility and all the residents located on the periphery of the pipeline can be the beneficiaries of a hassle-free gas system.

KiFi

The government had decided to open up 2,000 WiFi hotspots in public places under the banner of KiFi. It will allow users to get 300 MB of data free every day. For using more they will have to choose a plan.

KFON

Stands for Kerala Fibre Optic Network. It is a project where the Government will provide High-speed broadband internet connection at low cost to poor families and government offices and schools. It is largely hailed as a pro-poor initiative as usage of the internet has increased post the lockdown.

HVDC Electricity Corridor

A new power line has been opened in the state from Thrissur to Pugalur in Tamil Nadu. It will complete Kerala’s full integration to the central grid.

KIIFB

A fund collection initiative of the state government whereby, the agency will take loans through sovereign and masala bonds. The fund collected will be used for various projects like bridges, roads, refurbishing schools, converting ordinary classrooms into smart classrooms etc.

Criticisms

KIIFB has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons as well. UDF led opposition claims that too much borrowing through bonds will create a financial burden and debt. The BJP led central govt. believes that KIIFB has violated various laws by borrowing from foreign investors while the state government denies those allegations. Although we can see the Central govt. started a similar scheme at the national level called the National Infrastructure Investment Fund (NIIF).

In the Union budget, we can see that the central government has sanctioned multiple funds for road and infrastructure development. While LDF is boasting about infrastructure projects being sanctioned and completed, we can see that there are also criticisms like dropping off Trivandrum and Kozhikode light metro projects, dropping of Mangalore-Trivandrum high-speed rail from DMRC.

Education

Kerala is one of the most literate and educated states in India. The main reason for that is its incredible education system at the school level. Here are a few developments in the state-run education system in the past years.

Primary Education

The big focus this time was on primary education and most of the work is satisfactory. Last government’s time we saw a lot of havoc with textbooks not being printed and delivered on time. This term that problem has been solved. Uniform and books are ready on time. Using KIIFB funds as we discussed before, we can see a lot of work in improving basic facilities, new classrooms, smart classrooms, etc. Also, by numbers, we can see that enrollment of new admissions in state-run schools has steadily increased.

Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education(KITE) was established for imparting various technical methodologies for education. When the pandemic struck, the entire system went online. Kerala model chose a different approach that is utilising state-run TV channel Victers for telecast of educational programmes. The web version for the same was also made available by KITE.

Higher Education

Compared to primary education, higher education was chaotic. Higher education stands for all educational institutions which are not school-based like colleges, professional colleges, ITI, polytechnic etc. The main highlight itself is starting a new ministry solely for Higher Education. The minister for the same was quite a controversial person, K T Jaleel who had defected from UDF in 2011.

An Open University was started under the name of Sri Narayana Guru, which also came in news for the wrong reasons such as appointing the Vice-Chancellor from Muslim background and fight between social groups.

KTU which is Kerala’s main technical university saw massive controversies since its inception in 2015. Complaints were raised against the syllabus, exam conduct, time table, evaluation etc. As usual Kerala and Calicut university was in the headline for unethical staff appointments. The recent issue of regularising temporary appointees also saw its big wreck in this sector.

Skill Development

Coming skills, the government has started a skill-acquisition programme called ASAP, where trainees can choose skill development courses through the private tie-up. One training centre is established in one district and in total we have 14 of them in the state. Apart from that, ASAP has started training in engineering college for students as well where there is a training centre with full equipped laboratories.

Welfare

Has always been the centric policy of all governments. It was this govt. that amplified its scope and increased the schemes to vow voters. Till now it has worked. The opposition despite having the same agenda has accused it of increasing the state debt. Even the right is banking on welfare.

Pensions

Highlighted as the main achievement of the govt. The number of people especially the elderly who are receiving pension has doubled and also the amount has also been raised. The government of the day hopes to convert this into votes.

Ration

Affected by flood and lockdown, the govt. unveiled a scheme where a family having a ration card will be provided with a ration food kit on monthly basis. That food kit will consist of groceries and cooking items. This was helpful to the poor and lower-middle-class. This can amplify the rural voters.

Community Kitchen

Started when COVID-19 lockdown was initiated in the state. They were run in assistance with local bodies where food was provided for free to poor households who had lost their income in the lockdown period. CM then said that govt. doesn’t want anyone to go hungry.

Unemployment

Kerala is the state that has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Despite that, we have immigrants coming from other states and taking up all kinds of jobs.

PSC

Protests were held against the Public Service Commission which is in charge of recruiting people for govt. jobs. There were several complaints by those who had got selected for the rank list in 2017, that it must be extended by another 3 years, ie even after 2020. The protest went for nearly a month before the elections were called. Although we can see that there is some merit in govt.’s the argument that there is no law that everyone should be appointed and the rank list must be extended.

Personality Level Factors

When the contest/parties are more than just ideologues. They wish to project popular figures to extend their reach and spread their narratives.

Pinarayi Factor

The big highlight of this election or of this government was that it had a face, ie. CM Pinarayi Vijayan. He is the main face of LDF now, the entire front is under one command. There is so much power concentrated under one hand. On a positive note, the LDF is seeing no crisis, because all parties and the factions are united behind him.

Top criticism that LDF face is that a personality cult has been created. During crisis time, the CM would hold a press conference every day. This is also a method how he and his party used to portray himself as a strongman leader. Added is the attack of putting a single leader over the party which is considered as anti-communist or which is against the principles which the party has followed for years.

The main allegation has been the dictatorship style of the CM. Even before coming into power, he was always known for his autocratic and disciplined style of working. He has been a media critic, who always taunts the media. Liberals across the nation call him dhoti laden Modi. In every govt. poster, cover page, schemes, he is the face. This was never the way in which CPIM as a party used to function or how the past LDF governments used to be.

CM Office’s was the centre of power. The Home Ministry was under Vijayan’s command. Power was too much centralised in one entity and in one person is overshadowing the rest of the government. Despite that, we have seen widespread criticism that CM’s office wasn’t properly kept in order by the CM himself that issues like the Gold Smuggling case saw CM’s Principal Secretary being involved in the same.

No collective leadership is the final criticism against the government. That is also why the UDF and BJP would like to throw mud at the CM than throwing it at the respective minister. LDF has utilised this and made the elections all about him is known as the “Pinarayi factor”. Unfortunately, other fronts don’t have a central candidate and even Modi can’t be the face for BJP.

Sreedharan Factor

Known for his experience and his contributions to Konkan Railway, Delhi Metro and Kochi is now part of BJP. He is now being pushed up in the part as a man of development, infrastructure etc.

Just because he has good experience in the engineering field, it is not good to say that he will shine very well in politics too. He is quite old and people don’t find him charismatic. He doesn’t have touch with the crowd and has no political experience. He was already under attack for his statements on various issues and also for being silent on what BJP stands for.

How many seats can the BJP win under this factor is a question and they will be lucky enough to win the seat of Palakkad where E Shreedharan is fighting.

Rahul Factor

The ex-President of the Indian National Congress and the MP from Wayanad has been active in Kerala for the past few months. He is fighting on behalf of his party to get UDF to victory. This understanding has come up from the 2019 Lok Sabha elections where UDF was able to flip up several Left strongholds under his charisma. Despite that, if you ask if such a factor exist there answer is 50–50. Up to an extent, Rahul Gandhi won’t have much effect beyond the Wayanad belt.

A comprehensive analysis on various issues

Keenly Contested Seats

We have discussed till now about parties, but this a section where politics becomes more diverse and the power of your vote manifolds. This section shows how much a candidate can overshow his/her party. Following are the few seats that are seeing an interesting and close contest.

1. Pala As said before in the previous article, Mani C Kappan who had left the LDF is up against Jose K Mani who has arrived at LDF from UDF. We can see that they have switched their sides from last time. Pala has been the centre of KCM’s politics and in 2019 Kappan had breached it with a narrow victory.

2. Thripunithra The fortress of UDF for three decades under K Babu had fallen in 2016 when M Swaraj had won it. With its proximity to the city of Kochi, a lot of urban issues will hold the stage. Now, M Swaraj is up against K Babu once again. The town is also an area where BJP has a strong influence.

3. Nemom The sole seat that BJP had won in 2016 under O Rajagopal. It is now seeing a three-cornered fight between V Shivankutty, former mayor of TVM and ex MLA of LDF, K Muraleedharn of UDF and Kummanam Rajashekharan of the BJP. Trivandrum city and periphery is a strong area of the BJP and we can’t underestimate their might.

4. Kunnathunadu This is a seat where the apolitical entity Twenty Twenty is seeing itself to break the goals of mainstream political parties.

5. Manjeshwaram The northernmost constituency of Kerala bordering Karnataka has a large population of linguistic minorities. The seat has always seen a consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of BJP and Muslim votes in favour of IUML. This time BJP President K Surendran is contesting the seat expecting a sure victory.

6. Thrithala Witnessing a tight fight between two youth veterans V T Balram and M B Rajesh.

7. Thrissur city Another seat where we can see a triple fight. It is the sitting seat of LDF and UDF has brought Padmaja Venugopal who is the sister of K Muraleedharan. BJP has unveiled the strongest option, ie actor turned politician Suresh Gopi.

8. Kundara A strong of LDF under J Mercy Kutty Amma, who was also the Fisheries Minister. The main challenger is P Vishnunath who has a good track record of winning elections in Chenganur. The main issue in the constituency is EMCC deep fishing issue.

9. Palakkad The seat where E Shreedharan is taking on sitting MLA Shafi Parambil of UDF. This seat is seeing a tight fight between BJP and UDF. LDF is out of the picture. BJP hopes to dent this fort after it had won Palakkad municipality back to back.

10. Thavanoor Ever since its formation was won by IUML turned LDF Independent K T Jaleel. He has been in the soup for his handling of the Higher Education Ministry and also in the Gold Smuggling case. Although, he is a strong candidate has a strong foothold in the area. Against him is a social media star and philanthropist Firoz Kunnamparambil, who is on an INC ticket but has been a League loyalist.

11. Kazhakootam A prominent suburb of Trivandrum city, also the IT centre of Kerala is now having a 3-sided battle. LDF has fielded sitting MLA and Devoswom Minister Kadamkambally Surendran. UDF has brought ex-WHO official Dr S S Lal from Washington D.C. The big surprise came from the BJP who fielded Sobha Surendran who was the victim of infighting within the party. She is quite charismatic has the ability to flip the red state.

12. Kozhikode North Seen as a citadel for LDF under M Pradeep Kumar. Now, he is not contesting as per party rules. UDF has fielded its youngest candidate K. M. Abhijith while BJP has pitched in M T Ramesh expecting to make inroads.

How to Vote?

Even if you haven’t understood any above-mentioned issue but are on the voting list this time, then you can check this section and understand how you can vote wisely.

Know your candidate

Just before this section we have mentioned closely contested seats. The main factor that sets it apart is the candidate set that has an effect beyond the party lines. We don’t have presidential elections or party-based election.

Know the candidates contesting from your constituency. Check their previous political record, ideology, criminal records, educational background etc. Always look for their outstanding past instances or events. Look for candidates beyond party lines and decide who can represent you better, how far are they approachable, or what all are their plans for next term.

Check manifesto

More important than party ideology is the party manifesto where the party decides its road map for the next five years. The infrastructure plans, educational policy, new schemes, healthcare policy, financial policy, and a lot more.

Loyalty

Inspect the loyalty of the candidate to the party as well as the commitment of the party to the alliance at large. Is the candidate you are choosing will stay loyal to your vote? Will he/she change party or defect? Will he go against what he has promised you?

Know the issues

We have discussed in elaborate many issues. Hopefully, you will keep them in mind as you cast your vote. Understand the previous track record of the governments in giving importance to issues.

Health, education, agriculture, law and order, state roads, etc. are the most important state-based issues. Also try to focus on local constituency-based issues, history of constituents, track-record of MLA, amount of funds allocated etc.

Voting on Election Day

I hope you have registered and you will be there to vote. Always remember that margin of swing votes is always less than people haven't turned up for voting. So each vote matters and your vote has a voice and the power to swing elections.

After Voting and After Elections

Everything just doesn’t end after you cast your vote. It is just the beginning. After that whenever possible you need to follow up on various issues, their work, progress etc. These are some basic things which you can do aside from whatever you are doing now. I sincerely believe you will make a wise choice and hopefully choose the best candidate. Last but not the least, you have registered and you will be there to vote.

Hoping that you will vote wisely!

Suggested Reading on Kerala Politics

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