LDF pays price for disunity

In 2004, the Left’s performance in Kerala made it a formidable force in New Delhi. Its performance in 2009 made it powerless in Delhi.

After winning 18 of 20 seats in 2004, its tally has been reduced to four this year. While CPI(M) forts fell, CPI drew a blank. The southern state gifted Congress 13 seats and its allies three.

Congress’ MI Shanavas won Wayanad by a record 1,53,439 votes. Union minister E Ahmed (IUML), former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor and Anto Antony (both Congress) too won by lakh-plus margins.

CPI(M) central committee member P Karunakaran retained Kasargod while the other northern red bastions — Kannur, Vadakara and Kozhikode — fell to the Congress.

Another veteran — CPI(M) control commission member P Rajendran — lost in Kollam.

The party withstood the Congress tide in Attingal, Alathur and Palakkad, despite drains in its vote bank. The results reflect the factionalism within the CPI(M), which missed the presence of CM Achuthanandan during the campaign that was dominated by party secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and his new ally Abdul Nasser Madani.

CPI(M), which has been consistently making inroads into the Muslim heartland of Malapuram, saw Muslim League consolidate its position in the two constituencies.
While Madani blamed anti-incumbency, Achuthanandan said, “There’s no wave against governance. We expected to repeat the 2004 win, if not in that scale.”

The UPA’s victory is a portent to an imminent change of guard in the state, which is scheduled to go to the assembly elections in 2011.