Communists hail ‘historic’ victory in Kerala local elections

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the result as “historic,” with the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led electoral alliance set to improve on the 2015 results, consolidating its stronghold.

The CPI(M) said in a statement that it “congratulates and salutes the people of Kerala for giving the Left Democratic Front in Kerala a big victory in the local body elections.”

“The people of Kerala have recorded their approval of the performance of the LDF government. The people have appreciated the work done by the state government and the local bodies in tackling the serious floods of 2018 and the Covid pandemic,” it said.

Kerala has won widespread praise for its success in dealing with coronavirus which has been attributed in part to investment in public-health services and a health-promotion campaign which saw detailed information and advice given to the public through its democratic channels.

The CPI (M) said the election results were “a strong rebuff” to the negative campaigns run by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which it accused of trying to smear the LDF through the right-wing media and government agencies.