Kerala Assembly Elections | Stormy campaign draws to an end

Parties pushed their case with voters, touching upon contentious issues

Final leg: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in an autorickshaw in Kalpetta on Sunday.

The public campaigning for the 2021 Kerala Assembly election ended at 7 p.m. on Sunday. The frantic last-minute electioneering marked the summing up of an arguably rancorous poll season, marked by recriminatory bickering, identity politics and provincial mawkishness. Matters of faith and religion clashed with livelihood and development issues to take centre stage in the electoral debate.

Both the BJP and the Congress recurrently played up the Central law enforcement’s “incriminating” investigative forays against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s and Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan’s offices in the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case.

The Congress and the BJP lacerated the government for “trampling” on the religious beliefs of Ayyappa devotees. Their respective campaigns persistently talked about “defending” religious custom.

LDF overtures

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) struggled to relegate the socially volatile issue of gender equity at Sabarimala to the backburner. It strained to shift voter attention away from Sabarimala and the gold smuggling case. The ruling front tried to focus the poll narrative on the administration’s welfare measures, governance record, COVID-19 management and election manifesto.

The LDF also strived to draw Muslim and Christian votes to its fold by damning the Congress as “lenient” to the Hindutva agenda. The ruling front projected itself as the sole bulwark against the rising tide of majoritarianism. The LDF calculated that consolidation of minority votes favouring the ruling front might help counterbalance the emergent BJP.

The BJP played on the Christian community’s “insecurities” without seeming to relinquish its traditional emphasis on Hindutva politics. The party has promised legislation against “love jihad” and a State law for “defending” the Sabarimala faith.

The Congress has skirted the “love jihad” controversy. But it made overtures to Hindu, Christian and Muslim social organisations and influencers. Its campaign banked heavily on the presence of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to sway voters. The slew of corruption charges raised by Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala also formed the UDF campaign’s central plank.

The pandemic and the disruption it wrecked appeared to take a back seat as the open campaigning crescendoed across Kerala in the build-up to curtains down at 7 p.m. The Election Commission of India’s ban on the grand campaign finale, Kottikalasham, remained primarily on paper. National leaders, including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Mr. Gandhi, held large closing-day rallies that drew energetic crowds of supporters. Mr. Vijayan held a roadshow in Kannur.

Ever optimistic

As the open campaigning reached its last gasp, the competing coalitions seemed to express unalloyed optimism about their electoral chances. However, their aura of confidence belied the hectic behind-the-scenes manoeuvring.

Political agents hastened to prop up traditional support bases, staunch possible bleeding of votes and ensure turnout on polling day on April 6.