The battle for the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, known for its bipolar politics, always choosing between the Congress-led United Front and the CPI(M)-led Left Front, has attracted national attention this time for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, as these two entities battle it out in Kerala this time, they have a seat-sharing arrangement elsewhere in the country as part of an anti-BJP platform called INDIA bloc. Both these alliances call for an end to the BJP rule at the Centre in favour of a secular, more democratic government which respects Indian federalism.
But their fight is far from friendly.
The second reason is the desperate attempt made by the BJP over the last few years to woo the church and leverage the anti-Muslim sentiments among a section of Christians by capitalising on the ‘love jihad’ bogey.
Yet another reason for the elections in Kerala drawing national attention is the slew of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests the State witnessed in the days before the announcement of the polls. The Left front was more articulate on the issue and held conventions across the State. The Congress came under attack for not including the subject even in its election manifesto.
We also look at a few key battles, in particular Thiruvananthapuram, and candidates to watch out for.
Presentation and script: S. Anandan
Video: Thulasi Kakkat
Production: Shibu Narayan
