The CPM led LDF has won 98 seats leaving 42 seats to the Congress led UDF in the results declared to the 140 member Kerala Assembly. The BJP which was widely expected to win the seats of Palakkad and Manjeswaram finished second in Manjeswaram and Kasargod, losing the Manjeshwaram seat by hardly 4,000 votes. In Palakkad, torpedoing all hopes Shri O. Rajagopal, former Union Minister of State finished third polling just 28,000 odd votes.
Many stalwarts of the UDF including ministers like M.V. Raghavan, K.R. Gowriamma, Dominic Presentation, E.T. Mohammed Basher, K. Kunjalikutty, M.K. Muneer and stalwarts like R. Balakrishna Pillai, Babu Divakaran, Shibu Baby John, P.P. Thankachan and Deputy Speaker, Sundaram Nadar bit the dust.
Karunakaran'sparty DIC(K) was routed with all the candidate except one being humiliatingly defeated. Even the last minute alliance with the UDF could not save Karunakaran'sparty or his son, K. Muraleedharan who lost in Koduvally Kozhikode.
The big story of this election is the routing of the Muslim League in its strongholds of Malappuram and North Kerala. The Muslim League which had 17 seats in the previous Assembly has been reduced to just 7 in the new Assembly. Its general secretary P.K. Kunjalikutty who was involved in a sex scandal, lost to a CPM supported Muslim League rebel candidate K.I. Jaleel by 8,000 votes in Kuttipuram. Similarly the Muslim League leaders like, E.T. Mujammed Basheer, Cherkalam Abdulla and M.K. Muneer lost in the Muslim League strongholds of Tirur, Manjeswaram and Mankada.
The dangerous consequences of this electoral results are the CPM joining with jehadi forces like Madani'sPDP, Jamaat-e- Islami, Kanthapuram Musaliar of Sunni group to defeat Muslim League in its strongholds of North Kerala. Similarly it has joined with several Christian fringe groups in South Kerala. Although the CPM-led LDF has succeeded in its strategy of winning the Christian and Muslim votes which normally go to the UDF, its implication are going to be dangerous for Kerala.
The CPM has obtained Muslim votes by promising Madani'srelease from Coimbatore jail. If that happens Kerala which is already under regular attack from jehadi terrorists will be in greater danger. In a tiny State where almost 55 per cent Hindus live with 45 per cent Muslims and Christians the effects of a communal confrontation will be unimaginable. The CPM is playing with fire, for temporary electoral benefits, not mindful of its inherent danger.
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