The Assembly elections were much debated and keenly watched. The Hindu spoke to a cross-section of people to gauge their views on the results.
Arjun M., student
The results are an indictment of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government. The corruption that was rampant during its rule – the solar case, the bar bribery case, the Pattoor land scam – and the Bharatiya Janata party’s fascist ideology, which led to a transfer of minority votes to the Left Democratic Front (LDF), resulted in the LDF’s win.
Corruption is what led to K. Babu’s defeat in Tripunithura. I hope V.S. Achuthanandan becomes the Chief Minister because he brings a lot of energy though he is 93 and has already shown what he is capable of doing when he is in power.
Biju Sundaram, techie
The LDF was likely to win because the government changes every five years in the State. There was also the anti-incumbency factor. The margin though was unexpected. The LDF won because it did a lot of ground-level work. From tracking social media, we know it used all mechanisms to reach out to the people, especially the youth. The corruption during the UDF rule was also a major factor in its defeat. The BJP did good work though it was not able to change the result much. O. Rajagopal enjoys people’s support.
M. Ajayadev, teacher
The LDF win was expected, but this margin is a stunner. The UDF government was arrogant enough to believe it could get away with doing whatever it wished. But it ignored that in a democracy, it is the people who are important. Its rule, marked by corruption, the recent Perumbavoor case, and the schism within the front, all led to its defeat. Even UDF supporters would not have backed it. O. Rajagopal’s candidature was critical to the BJP’s win in Nemom. The BDJS influence, overt in some places, has led to an increase in BJP’s vote share.
P. Sekharankutty,
retired bank official
I favoured a change in government. The UDF government said corruption was not proved, but there was corruption. The Opposition LDF campaigned against this and won. The BJP’s win is also welcome, as in a democracy anyone selected by the people could be part of the administrative set-up. The new government should eradicate corruption from the body politic, focus on development, and fight communalism. It should avoid the path of confrontation with the Union government. It should give due respect to the Opposition and rule without fear or favour.
