LDF hegemony weakens in Kollam

The electoral outcome in Kollam district signals a major political realignment within the region, defined by the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) historical urban breakthrough and a decisive weakening of the Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) hegemony.

The most significant event was the UDF dethroning LDF in Kollam Corporation, their first-ever win since its formation in 2000. This defeat was aggravated by the loss of the Karunagapally municipality to the UDF, which ultimately secured a total of 32 grama panchayats, four block panchayats, and one municipality across the district. While the LDF managed to retain control of the district panchayat and the majority of rural bodies (7 out of 11 block panchayats and 33 grama panchayats), the UDF’s surge was undeniable, particularly in the district panchayat where they increased their tally from three to 10 seats. The results confirm that the UDF successfully made massive gains across the district, breaking the LDF’s grip on Kollam’s political structure. Meanwhile, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) made considerable gains, especially in the Kollam Corporation by winning a total of 12 seats — a significant jump from the six seats they held in 2020.

“This result reflects the anger of the voters towards the administration that ruined Kollam Corporation for 25 years coupled with public backlash against the Left government,” said DCC president P. Rajendraprasad. P C Vishnunath, MLA, expressed confidence that the historic victory in the Corporation will be successfully replicated in the Assembly elections across the Kollam district.

CPI(M) district acting secretary S. Jayamohan said that the LDF will seriously examine the Corporation debacle. “The election results clearly indicate that UDF and the BJP formed an unholy alliance in many parts of the district to gain power. In the Kollam Corporation, in the 12 wards won by the UDF, the BJP received votes ranging only from 29 to 324. Similarly, in the 7 wards won by the BJP, the UDF received less than 350 votes,” he pointed out.