Will anti-incumbency be the joker in the Kerala poll?

High voltage campaign of the LDF has eclipsed the UDF, beset by internal fissures

Even as several pre-poll surveys indicate a continuity of the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) rule in Kerala, questions are also raised about the presumed watershed electoral politics in the State. But a silent undercurrent of anti-incumbency appears to be prevailing among the voters. Rarely has the electorate rewarded incumbent State governments, especially in Kerala, with consecutive terms in recent times. Either it is the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) or the Left alliance. This see-saw voting pattern has been seen in the State since the 1982 elections. The predicted continuity of the LDF government headed by veteran CPI(M) leader V.S. Achuthanandan in the 2011 elections also failed to materialise. This time, in the absence of a clear wave for or against either of the fronts has already given an impression that the Left parties experimenting with 11 coalition parties is set to retain power. One of the factors cited is the victory of the LDF in the three-tier local body polls in December 2020. Thus, triggering a logic that there is no anti-incumbency against the government.