With eyes on vote share, mainstream parties take lion’s share of seats

Mainstream parties in Kerala dominate Lok Sabha elections, with CPI(M) aiming to maintain national status and increase influence.

Mainstream parties in Kerala, much like their counterparts nationwide, take the lion’s share of seats, especially in Lok Sabha elections. However, this trend has become more pronounced in recent times for various factors for each party, including increasing their vote share unlike in Assembly elections.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] is contesting 15 out of 20 seats, leaving four to its traditional Left partner, the Communist Party of India (CPI) and one to its fledgling constituent the Kerala Congress (M). The party seems to have two main objectives: to get more MPs to maintain its status as a national party and to become a significant force in case the INDIA bloc comes to power, reminiscent of its 2004 success when the party alone secured 43 seats across the country.

This time, the party has not allocated any seats to several partners, leading to discontent among other parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Janata Dal (Secular). Even the minor party Indian National League (INL) sought a seat to no avail.

Quite interestingly, CPI(M)-backed Independents are contesting on the the party symbol now. K.M. Hamza, a former State secretary of the IUML, is fielded in Ponnani, and Joice George is contesting from Idukki. In 2019, the party supported Independents P.V. Anvar in Ponnani and Mr. George in Idukki.

In 2014, the CPI(M), however, displayed magnanimity towards the Janata Dal(S) by ceding the Kottayam seat but denied the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) the Kollam seat, leading to a realignment of forces in coalition politics. Eventually, the RSP joined the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

In the run-up to the 2009 polls, a similar prequel was played out when the Janata Dal (S) was denied the Kozhikode seat, resulting in a split in the party and its State president M.P. Veerendrakumar forming the Socialist Janata Democratic (SJD) and later jumping on to the UDF bandwagon.

This realignment, perhaps was reflected in the 2011 Assembly polls, with the UDF narrowly defeating the LDF by four seats, marking it one of the closest in the State’s electoral history in the recent past.