With hardly a year left for the local body elections, the erosion of Communist Party of India (Marxist) vote base to the Bharatiya Janata Party has sent shock waves to the ruling party in the district.
The BJP has registered lead in 14 of the 53 grama panchayats in the district, many of them controlled by the Left Democratic Front, and in the Pandalam municipal limits in the recent Lok Sabha election.
There were reports that the CPI(M) local units have failed to check the erosion of its vote base as a good number of women belonging to CPI(M) families have taken strong exception to the alleged anti-devotee stand adopted by the government on the women’s entry issue at Sabarimala. The CPI(M) strong-holds of Kalanjoor, Malayalappuzha, Ranni-Perinad, and Aerath have gone the BJP way.
BJP candidate K. Surendran stood second to Veena George of the LDF in Pallickal panchayat that has long been regarded as a Left bastion. The BJP candidate was in the lead in the grama panchayats of Ayroor, Aranmula, Kulanada, Naranganam, Vallicaud, Omalloor, Kuttoor, Pandalam-Thekkekkara, and Mallappuzhasserry.