Minority votes go against LDF

It is ironical that the LDF government which is in the thick of implementing its most ambitious People8217;s Planning Programme should suffer from an anti-incumbency sentiment. The counting trends had shown an unbeatable lead for the Congress candidate in Alappuzha and a close race in Kannur.

This was the first electoral test faced by the LDF after a section of the CITU turned inimical towards the CPIM and it had its fallouts in some segments of Ernakulam and Mukundapuram seats which are the strongholds of the CITU faction. But the convincing lead established by P Rajendran CPI-M in Kollam and the close race in Kannur, the two seats snatched away from its allies, RSP and NCP, reveal that the resentment in those two parties against the CPIM for depriving them of their traditional seats has not got reflected in voting.

Thiruvananthapuram was the BJP8217;s best hope but O Rajagopal, ended up a poor third. But he won for BJP the highest ever percentage of votes 20.93 ever to be polled by it in any LS election in Kerala.