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The rise of Muslim politics in ‘God’s Own Country’ Kerala


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Thiruvananthapuram : In the local body polls in the southern state, the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala surprised almost everyone with its impressive performance. It is often said that whoever performs well in local body polls goes on to win assembly elections. Assembly elections in Kerala are due in April-May of 2021. The local body poll results are all the more surprising given that merely last year the Congress-led United Democratic Alliance had won as many as 19 out of 20 parliamentary seats from the state.

The BJP has apparently failed to convince the voters who have run a spirited campaign in the local body elections. The BJP had used the services of its top leaders in Kerala including central ministers to canvas for the party. It seems that despite its surge in the adjoining Karnataka, it will have to wait longer to make its mark in God’s own country.

An important feature of the local body elections in Kerala this year is the success of Muslim political parties. This year, two other Muslim outfits have made inroads in the state and there are chances that both will become permanent fixtures therein while the Muslim League is a permanent fixture in the state’s political arena for decades and has been part of the Congress-led UDF.

Everyone is surprised by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and the political arm of PFI’s superlative performance by winning as many as 100 seats in the local body elections. And in the process becoming a force to reckon with. Although the party had performed poorly in previous elections, this year saw it making huge inroads in areas where it formerly didn’t have much of a presence. According to some political analysts, it had a tacit understanding with the ruling Left front in many states, though official LDF sources deny such claims.

The performance of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Welfare Party of India has also been better than expected, bagging around 65 seats in local body polls. Although the Welfare Party has been fighting state elections for over a decade it is for the first time that it has tasted real success and has emerged as a serious player in Kerala politics. However, the credit for its performance, according to analysts, should go to its alliance with the Congress-led UDF. There are reasons to believe that the WPI’s presence in its fold may help the UDF to retain a couple of municipalities that it would have lost without a tacit understanding with the WPI.

UDF’s alliance with the WPI has apparently helped the UDF in defeating the LDF in some important regions including in parts of Kozhikode and Malappuram, areas with sizeable Muslim population. Jamaat-e-Islami’s political wing has also aided the UDF in other parts of the state. Two gram panchayats in Malappuram district, including Kootilangadi and Angadipuram have also been won by the UDF thanks to its alliance with the WPI. Latest reports suggest that the Welfare Party of India has won three wards and one ward in Koottilangadi and Angadipuram, respectively. This is also going to help the UDF.

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