Thiruvananthapuram, 13 Dec (H.S.):Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan on Saturday thanked the people of Kerala for what he described as the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) best-ever performance in the history of the State’s local body elections, stating that the results reflected a clear and decisive public verdict against the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Addressing a press conference here, Satheesan said the UDF’s victory was the outcome of the issues and agenda placed before the electorate by the Opposition gaining widespread public attention and acceptance. He said the UDF was deeply indebted to the people who stood with the front and expressed heartfelt gratitude to all those who supported it.
Presenting detailed figures to underline the scale of the UDF’s gains and the LDF’s losses, the Opposition leader said the ruling front had suffered a significant erosion of its support base across all tiers of local governance. In the 2020 local body elections, the LDF had controlled 580 grama panchayats. That number has now come down sharply to 345. In contrast, the UDF, which governed 340 grama panchayats in 2020, has increased its tally to around 500 this time.
Satheesan noted that the UDF had also registered strong performances in block panchayats, district panchayats and corporations, reclaiming several key local bodies from the LDF. According to him, the charge sheet and performance document released by the Opposition against the State government had resonated with voters and shaped the electoral discourse.
Describing the outcome as a collective effort, Satheesan said the local body election results represented the victory of “Team UDF”. He attributed the success to effective organisation, disciplined teamwork and focused grassroots-level campaigning, adding that the verdict showed people had begun to decisively reject the LDF government’s record.
The Opposition leader also accused the LDF of attempting to polarise voters by resorting to communal narratives. He alleged that the ruling front shifted its political strategy at different stages and that the CPI(M) had adopted an agenda similar to that of the BJP. However, he said the ultimate beneficiary of such politics had been the BJP itself.
Satheesan said the people of Kerala had rejected divisive politics and reaffirmed their faith in democratic and inclusive governance through the local body election verdict. Calling the results a strong political message ahead of future elections, he said the UDF would respect the mandate with humility and continue to raise people’s issues with renewed strength and commitment.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
