A 'shock and awe' verdict in Kerala

The results of the Kerala byeelections presented a mixedbag, with both ruling Left Democratic Front and the opposition United Democratic Front getting something to cheer by, at the same time suffering setbacks in some of their respective strongholds, which should force introspection in both camps. BJP ended up as a complete flop, failing to impress in any of the five seats for which byelections were held, although the party considered itself wellplaced in at least two seats. The end tally for the five constituencies was shared between the two main fronts, with UDF claiming three and the remaining two going to the LDF. Interestingly, the LDF captured both seats from the UDF, while the UDF upstaged the LDF in one of its most secure seats. Four of the byelections were caused by the resignation of sitting MLAs in the wake of their election as Lok Sabha members earlier this year. The fifth one was caused by the death of the sitting MLA. All but one of these seats were held by the UDF. The biggest upset occurred in Vattiyurkkavu where the CPI-M which had finished third in the 2016 Assembly elections, snatched a victory from the Congress. Similarly, Konni constituency, which was held by prominent Congress leader Adoor Prakash for the past 23 years, saw the CPI-M candidate register a memorable victory over the Congress candidate. Campaigning in both the seats were marked by allegations of non-cooperation by senior Congress leaders, who were reportedly upset over the rejection of their nominees as candidates. The negative result has already caused fireworks to fly, with some leaders demanding that those who consider themselves to be above the party must be made to atone for the mistake. In the CPI-M citadel of Aroor, Ms Shanimol Usman of Congress salvaged her party's prestige by snatching the seat from the communists, though by the smallest margin in the current round.