LDF expansion eyes at communities and vote banks
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Thiruvananthapuram: The expansion of Left Democratic Front on Wednesday has not become the talk of the town.
Evidently, the move would help the LDF achieve some inroads into the hitherto unreachable sections, and is more so considering the upcoming Lokh Sabha polls.
However, the expansion of the LFD is crisscrossed with shadows of both communal and vote bank factors.
The merger of INL that had been cooperating with the front for the past 25 years as well as Loktantrik Janata Dal, Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Democratic) might brighten the LDF poll prospects.
UDF has the view that the new entrants in LDF will not make much difference than they have already done.
With this move, CPM hopes to bolster up ties with parties in the front; despite being small parties, they could help open doors to communities. As for these parties, becoming allies would strengthen their credibility in the society.
Both INL and Kerala Congress could help the front make inroads into Muslim and Christian communities respectively, where the front’s influence is flimsy.
INL has not been able to make a dent in Muslim League’s supremacy in Malabar. CPM knows this better. CPM however stunned Muslim League by extracting its dissidents and planting them as independent candidates.
The expansion of the LDF gives the hope that the National Secular Conference headed by P.T.A Rahim, MLA, may merge with the Indian National League (INL).
The LDF aims to ensure win in constituencies including Badakara, Kozhikode and Wayanad through Loktantrik Janata Dal.
The induction of the Kerala Congress (B) and Kerala Congress (Democratic) will brighten the electoral prospects of the front mainly in central Kerala.
R. Balakrishna Pillai’s entry to the LDF would uptick the front’s prospects in Kollam and Mavelikara constituencies. However, LDF leadership has concerns that Kerala Congress ( B) would later claim for cabinet berth.
