Ideological Chimera, People's Mandate and the Left Debacle: Kerala Assembly Elections 2001

Political exigencies in Kerala compelled the Congress party and communists to forge coalition politics. In the bi-party type coalition set up the caste and communal identities, rather than ideology, play a crucial role in determining the electoral fortunes of the two fronts. The 2001 Legislative Assembly elections in Kerala mark the recurrence of the general features that characterize Kerala, elections for a long time. However, one exception this time was the margin by which the UDF won the election, which was an all time high. While the UDF was successful in forging an alliance of major caste and communal interests in the State, the misdeeds and failure of the tactics of the LDF led to its defeat.