Silence period begins; 15 constituencies to witness close fight

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The one-and-a-half-month-long high-octane election campaign in the state has come to an end. Only silent campaigning is permissible for the coming hours. Voters will go to the polling booth on Friday. The result will be announced on June 4.

The final picture gives the impression of a close fight in fifteen out of twenty Lok Sabha seats in the state. With the exception of Ernakulam, Idukki, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Ponnani, 15 constituencies are expected to see close fights. However, candidates have displayed fierce competition in these five constituencies as well. Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta seats are also witnessing a triangular contest in addition to Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, and Thrissur.

Some of the main topics of the election campaign were the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the issue of Kerala's development and the Centre's neglect towards Kerala. The death of veterinary student Siddharthan, the Panoor bomb blast, cyber-attacks, Modi's controversial speech and the police's action messing up Thrissur Pooram were also hot topics during the campaign. Allegations of attempting to influence voters with money and irregularities in voting at home also surfaced.

The excitement was heightened by the visits of national leaders, including the Prime Minister, and state leaders, including the Chief Minister. The undercurrents created by religious and community influences and secret understandings will play a crucial role in the final result.

Different political picture
Although the UDF, which won 19 out of the 20 seats in Kerala in the 2019 elections, is claiming that it will win in all constituencies this time, the political picture in Kerala has changed a lot in recent years. The Sabarimala women's entry controversy, the excitement over Rahul Gandhi contesting in Wayanad and the wave created by the campaign that Rahul Gandhi could topple the first Modi government and become the Prime Minister, contributed to the massive success of the UDF in 2019. However, there are no such favourable factors today.

The LDF, which managed to win only in Alappuzha at that time, is making huge efforts to recapture its forts. However, the sentiment that controversies and allegations related to the party and administration can create among voters is unpredictable.

The BJP, which has been raising its vote percentage in many constituencies since the last parliamentary elections, is in a life-and-death battle to open its account this time. The BJP is also worried that the LDF and UDF will come together at the last moment to sabotage its victory.

Fronts are highly hopeful of winning in
UDF: 15 seats
LDF: 8 seats
NDA: 3 seats