The recent local body elections in Kerala saw the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) putting up a strong show, dealing a blow to the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) ahead of the state Assembly polls slated for April 2026. In an interview with The Indian Express, Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, 61, speaks about a range of issues, including the UDF’s local body poll victory, his party’s prospects in the Assembly elections, and the BJP factor. Excerpts:
Do you see the local body poll results as a bellwether for the Assembly elections?
Though the voting pattern in the Assembly elections is different from that seen in local body polls, these results are definitely an indicator. If the outcome of the district panchayats (which have larger wards and see political voting) are considered, we won seven of the 14 as against the three we won last time (in 2020). Our numbers in district panchayats are higher than the CPI(M).
But the LDF also retained seven district panchayats…
At this moment, we can claim to have an edge. The anti-incumbency against the LDF will be much stronger in the Assembly polls, in which state-level issues get prominence. We are prepared and confident, and are aiming (to win) 100 (of the 140) seats.
In the last four-and-a-half years, the UDF has won all bypolls with higher margins while in Chelakkara, which was held by the CPI(M), we reduced the LDF’s margin from 40,000 to 12,000. This prevailing pro-UDF trend will reach its peak during the Assembly elections.
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The Congress usually fields familiar faces in the Assembly polls. Will this trend change this time?
There will be a generational shift in our candidates with youth and women to be given 50% of the tickets. Also, the process will be a smooth affair as it will not require bulk transition. We already have several young and popular leaders in mainstream politics, and unlike the CPI(M), we have very good second-rung and third-rung leaders.
Who will lead the UDF?
The UDF has a collective leadership and we work as a team. The Congress does not declare its Chief Ministerial face in advance. The same will be followed in Kerala. The CM will be decided after the elections by the AICC, in accordance with procedure.
But the LDF has incumbent Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as its leader again for the polls?
He (Vijayan) had been their captain, but now he is their biggest minus. He is the person behind the anti-incumbency.
Why do you think the LDF government’s welfare measures, its biggest plank, did not translate into votes in the local body polls?
In its 2021 (Assembly poll) manifesto, the LDF had promised to increase the welfare pension from Rs 1,600 per month to Rs 2,500. However, not even a single paisa has increased in the last four-and-a-half years. They cheated the people. They increased the amount to Rs 2,000 per month only a week before the local body elections were announced. The people realised it and hence it did not create any impact.
What is your response to allegations that the Congress and the UDF are against development?
We are opposed to the K-rail project as it was planned without taking into consideration vulnerable environment factors. Climate change must be factored in when a major project is being introduced in a state like Kerala, which has seen back-to-back natural calamities.
Vijayan is outdated but the UDF is not – and hence it is opposing the K-rail. In the past, it was the CPI(M) that opposed major projects like the Vizhinjam seaport, which they dubbed as a Rs 6,000-crore “corrupt deal”. Now, they are taking credit for them. We have never been against the development of national highways.
*What factors do you think led to the UDF getting an upper hand in the local body elections?
There was huge anti-incumbency against the LDF government. The UDF came up with a chargesheet against the government, which included the Sabarimala gold theft case. We set the agenda and the chargesheet became a discussion point. Besides, the UDF worked as a team. We had started preparations a year ago and launched “Mission 2025”.
How was voting different this time as compared to the previous local body polls?
There was political voting in local body elections, which normally see debates on local issues.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the CM went for minority appeasement and after it failed, he began wooing the majority. The UDF is secular and is opposed to divisive politics as well as hate campaigns – against the minority or majority. The UDF got both the majority and minority votes due to this stand. It proved that all sections of people believe in us. This outcome marked the UDF’s biggest local body poll victory in the last 30 years.
What do you think of the BJP’s impact, given that it won the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation?
The BJP’s vote share has declined in Kerala and its Thiruvananthapuram victory is due to the LDF’s failure. The Congress doubled its tally.
There is an understanding between the BJP and CPI(M). The enthusiasm of the central agencies in non-BJP-ruled states is not felt in Kerala. The ED, which is probing several cases in the state, issued notices to leaders but failed to follow up on them.