Civic polls turn into political test

Political fronts in Kerala — the NDA, LDF, and UDF — have intensified preparations for the upcom- ing local body elections to be held in two phases December 9, 11

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The upcoming Kerala local body elections, to be held in two phases December 9 and 11, are shaping up as a battle between anti-incumbency and incumbency, a test of whether public discontent over controversies will outweigh the Left government's claims of welfare-driven governance.

For the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which controls five of the six corporations and a majority of local bodies, the elections are a bid to reaffirm its political dominance and validate Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's narrative of continuity and social welfare.