Thiruvananthapuram: Rahul Gandhi's sharp criticism of the ED and CBI for their perceived leniency towards Pinarayi Vijayan during the election campaign, coupled with the PM's forceful counter slogan "today's Congress is tomorrow's BJP", is considered by many to be a factor that influenced a segment of the electorate to support a robust third force in the state in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
The rise in BJP-led NDA's vote share from 16 percent to nearly 20 percent mirrors a shift in a segment of the electorate's mindset, moving away from a long-standing bipolar political framework. The BJP, celebrating a landmark victory in the Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency - its first in Kerala - is determined to strengthen its foothold and broaden its influence in the state by exposing the purported collusion between the UDF and LDF.
While the two fronts have historically competed against each other in Kerala, their shared concern over the BJP's growing influence in their traditional strongholds has united them in worry. The BJP, emboldened by recent electoral successes, is eager to advance the narrative of the alleged Congress-Communist nexus.
During his numerous visits to Kerala throughout the election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly promoted the narrative among voters, labelling the conflict between Rahul and Pinarayi as "match-fixing" intended to mislead the electorate of Kerala. On Wednesday, Mr Modi picked up where he left off during the Keala campaign, reemphasizing this stance in the Rajya Sabha during his response to the debate on the President’s Address.
Modi said in Delhi, they (Congress and CPM) are united on a common platform, accusing central investigation agencies of lodging false cases. They organize joint rallies to protect the corrupt, indirectly alluding to the public meeting at Ram Lila ground in support of Arvind Kejriwal.
The Prime Minister said that in Kerala, the “Shehzada” - a reference to Rahul Gandhi - calls for the imprisonment of the chief minister, their ally. They urge the central government to incarcerate the chief minister. Yet, in Delhi, they protest vehemently against the actions of the ED and CBI.
Modi said the Shehzada is calling for the same agencies to jail the Kerala chief minister, leading to public speculation about whether these parties hold a dual stance on such matters.
It is well acknowledged that in Kerala, the CPM and Congress find themselves in a challenging situation when confronted with actions by the CBI or ED. When Rahul Gandhi vehemently criticized the ED for its leniency towards Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the CPM promptly pointed out that they had firmly resisted the "witch hunt" conducted by central agencies against leaders of the Congress.
The crucial question remains whether the BJP will capitalize on the contradictory positions of the LDF and UDF concerning corruption cases to make additional gains in the forthcoming local body and assembly polls.
Most leaders from the CPM and Congress believe that the BJP will not achieve significant gains by concentrating on this matter in the local body and assembly elections. The local body elections focus mainly on local issues, while the assembly elections are likely to act as a referendum on the Pinarayi Vijayan government's performance.
But despite the optimism, political observers believe that past political, tactical, and electoral strategies of the two fronts will not be enough to stem the BJP's momentum.
