Lok Sabha election results: UDF wave sweeps Kerala; LDF routed, BJP goes missing

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In what could be one of the biggest waves in Kerala’s election history, UDF swept the Lok Sabha polls by winning 19 of the 20 seats. Adding charm to the thumping win was the majority garnered by many of the winning candidates; 10 of them had a minimum margin of one lakh votes.
Among them, Rahul Gandhi and PK Kunhalikutty broke existing electoral records by registering margins of 4.3 lakh and 2.6 lakh respectively.The NDA couldn’t open its account this time too though BJP candidates put up a brave fight in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta and Thrissur. CPM’s solace was its Alappuzha candidate AM Ariff who managed to defeat UDF candidate Shanimol Osman by 10,474 votes.
Also, the state will soon witness bypoll in six constituencies, including Manjeswaram where BJP’s K Surendran had lost by a mere margin of 89 votes the previous time. The party would be aiming to improve its bypoll performance. The UDF wave was first acknowledged by CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who termed the party’s defeat as ‘unexpected’. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan added that the anti-BJP campaign nurtured by CPM turned into an advantage for the Congress.
A range of factors – from displeasure with the Modi government to the arrogant style adopted by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan – proved beneficial for the Congress as it registered the best result after 1977. The UDF was decimated in a similar way in 2004 when the LDF won 18 seats and UDF constituent Muslim League won only one seat (NDA candidate PC Thomas won Muvattupuzha. Later his election was cancelled by the Supreme Court).
The entry of AICC president Rahul Gandhi as a candidate helped UDF to consolidate minority voters across the state. The handling of Sabarimala women entry verdict by Pinarayi Vijayan government alienated scores of traditional Hindu voters, who had earlier voted for the LDF. They chose Congress-led UDF over BJP. Most Hindu, Christian and Muslim votes went to the winning UDF candidates and this was visible from the huge win margins. In terms of victory margin, the least number was seen in Alappuzha where the LDF won.
Among the winners are 32-year-old Ramya Haridas, the second dalit woman leader to represent Kerala in Lok Sabha, former MP K Muraleedharan and Shashi Tharoor, who won his third term by nearly one lakh votes from Thiruvananthapuram.