THE CPI(M) led Left and Democratic Front (LDF) has registered an enthusing victory in the byelections for various local bodies. Elections were held for 35 seats in different districts on May 22. Out of these 35 seats, the LDF has won 18 seats; it wrested from the rival United Democratic Front (UDF) the latter’s 10 sitting seats. While the UDF was able to won only 13 seat, the BJP won just one. Political commentators in the state have described these results as indicative of a possible pro-LDF edge in the upcoming local body elections which are to be held in 2015. The Attipra ward of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in the state capital has been retained by LDF candidate Shobha Sivadatt by a margin of 913 votes. This bypoll was caused by the death of councillor Sangita. Here the UDF campaign, aided by the right wing media, against the CPI(M) and the LDF ended pathetically after the vote counting. In 2010, the CPI(M) candidate had won this seat by a margin of just 181 votes. The UDF plan to topple the LDF rule in the corporation has also been shattered by this mandate, as the LDF tally has been raised to 51 in the 100-member corporation council. In Navayikkulam division of Thiruvananthapuram district council, the seat was won by the CPI(M)’s Jalajabai by a huge margin of 4,812 votes. In this division the election was necessitated when the sitting member belonging to the RSP resigned after the state unit of his party joined the UDF. In the Ottur division of Varkala block panchayat too, the LDF won by a big margin. CPI(M) candidate Ramla Shereef won in Vallathol Nagar division of Thrissur district panchayat by a margin of 5,924 votes. The LDF majority in this division has thus multiplied by four times. The UDF’s sitting seat in Adimaly bloc in Idukki district was won by the CPI(M)’s candidate Ramya Renish, while Erumayoor division in Alathur block in Palakkad district was won by LDF candidate Ramesh of the CPI(M). The UDF’s three panchayat wards in Palakkad were also won by the LDF. In several panchayat wards is other districts the UDF was able to retain its seats by narrow margins. CPI(M) LEADER ON POLL RESULTS THE CPI(M)’s Kerala state secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, informed on May 23 that the CPI(M) state committee has analysed why the LDF has improved its position in the Lok Sabha elections 2014 in comparison to the 2009 elections. The results show the LDF’s mass base is intact. The front has won eight seats out of 20 --- it retained four seats and wrested four from the UDF. The LDF has gained 4,93,143 votes more than in the previous Lok Sabha elections, while the UDF gain was of 1,10,503 votes only. The vote share of the LDF was 40.17 percent and that of  the UDF 42.2 percent. This time the BJP got 10.83 percent of the votes polled (in 2004 the BJP’s vote share was 12.11 percent). But a concerted effort is being made to exaggerate the vote share of the BJP which have been purchasing votes in every election. In the latest elections, there was an attempt to purchase some votes for the UDF, but the RSS intervened to stop this trade in some constituencies. The BJP shifted votes to the UDF in constituencies like Alathur, Vadakara, Alappuzha, Kollam and Attingal. The BJP’s campaign and the Modi team’s hype also made some impact upon the voters. Independent candidates fielded by the LDF, like Innocent (Chalakkudi) and Joyce George (Idukki), emerged victorious while Abdurahiman (Ponnani) was able to reduce the margin of the UDF candidate. The LDF began its campaign in a situation where the UPA’s central government stood isolated from the people due to its anti-people measures. The UDF as well as the Congress were also plagued by inner fights which often came out in the open. But in the midst of the poll campaign, the UDF was able to manipulate and lure the RSP to change side and join the UDF fold. The LDF constituents, and especially the CPI(M) and CPI, fought the elections strongly united even though the RSP had left the front. The Indian National League and the JSS led by Gauri Amma also strongly supported the front. The CMP and Forward Bloc also cooperated well. The minority communities in the state did not take a pro-UDF stance in the beginning of the poll campaign. This made the UDF jittery and it sought to create a fear about Modi. This effort made to undermine to an extent the issues raised by the LDF, Pinarayi said. The LDF, which stressed the need of an alternative to the Congress and the BJP, expected more seats. The front had successfully exposed the anti-people measures of UPA government like price rise and corruption, and also the threat of communalism from the BJP. But most of the media sought to push these issues aside and tirelessly tried to help the UDF and the BJP. It was despite such efforts made by media that the LDF has improved its tally from four to eight, Pinarayi added.