Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala is swinging back from poll heat to normalcy, three fronts—UDF, LDF and NDA—are hopeful of making big gains.
UDF claims to ram a 20/20 win, while LDF rides on the hope of bettering from its 2014 numbers.
NDA believes that the whole campaigning pivoting on Sabarimala row has led to polarization.
UDF pins its hope on the large turn-out of women, young voters and minorities alongside what it says the Rahul wave.
The front’s leadership also hopes that BJP wouldn’t open accounts in Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram.
And there was no anti-UDF feeling at any point of campaigning. On the other hand, UDF believes that general mood against political violence by CPM has been so widespread in Malabar, along with anti-incumbency factor against BJP which would reflect in votes.
Also, Kerala responded to Rahul’s call of installing a secular government at the Centre, and UDF also hopes that both Attingal and Palakad, where LDF has an upper hand, would eventually tilt towards UDF, KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran told Madhyamam.
LDF and CPM are of the view that high voting rate would not be against the front. The leadership believes that if there was no vote leakage from Congress, BJP wouldn’t make it in constituencies including Thiruvananthapuram and Pathanamthitta. LDF also hopes that minorities would stand by the front.
CPM leadership believes that voters may not want to prop up Congress as a single major party, but instead people want to maintain the presence of LDF in the parliament.
Rahul impact will be confined to Wayanad alone. However, leakage of BJP votes in Kollam, Vadakara and Kannur would be critical.
However, NDA hopes that Sabarimala issue would polarize community votes in all the 20 constituencies. This would be better expressed in the results of Thiruvanathapuram, Pathanamthitta, and Palakad.