Local body polls: Oppostion to make the most of Sabarimala issue, other challenges await

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the local body elections popping up, the opposition looks to milk the most from the Sabarimala golf theft case. However, there are challenges. The undercurrents that create caste and religious equations will also be decisive in the elections. Contrary to tradition, the fronts have fielded bigwigs, creating the impression of a semi-final of the upcoming assembly elections.

The Pinarayi government and the Travancore Devaswom Board held a Global Ayyappa Sangamam in Pamba last September, almost recovering from the impact of the Sabarimala women's entry issue in 2019. The gathering was interpreted as an election tactic by the LDF and the government's penance for allowing women's entry.

However, the shocking information about the Sabarimala gold loot has put the government and the front on the defensive. The protests started by the opposition parties on the issue are intensifying, and as a first move to save face, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appointed retired IAS officer K. Jayakumar as Devaswom president.

The backward community votes going towards BJP in the state capital was a cause for headache for LDF and UDF for a long now. Both Fronts are trying to amend this by putting candidates from backward communities in the upcoming local body polls. Whether the move will yield results needs to be seen. At the same time, BJP is trying to make inroads into Christian factions and wooing other minorities.