Thiruvananthapuram: Lok Sabha elections have started. All the parties have intensified their preparations. This time BJP has also emerged as a strong contender in Kerala. In such a situation, Congress-led UDF and CPM-led LDF are battling over who can stand against the agenda of the Sangh Parivar.
Let us tell you that minority votes are very important for political parties in Kerala and the reason behind this is shocking. In fact, minorities are majority in 4 districts of Kerala.
In the larger Malabar region, which consists of eight constituencies from Palakkad, the geographical center of the state, to Kasaragod, the northernmost district, all seats have more than 25% Muslim population – Kasaragod (30.8% approx), Kannur (26% approx), Vadakara ( 31.2%), Kozhikode (36.7%), Wayanad (41%), Malappuram (68%), Ponnani (62.4%) and Palakkad (29.4%).
Moreover, when the Christian community is taken into account, the share of the minority population is more than 35% in 13 of the 20 seats in the state. There are six seats in the state where the Christian population share is more than 20%, mostly in the southern part of the state, with the highest being in Idukki (41.8%) and Pathanamthitta (39.6%).
What does history say?
If we talk about the history of the state, whenever there has been ups and downs in the voting behavior of minorities, it has had an electoral impact on both LDF and UDF. For example, in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the UDF won 19 out of 20 seats due to the consolidation of Muslim and Christian votes, aided by the Wayanad candidature of Rahul Gandhi, who was projected as the future Prime Minister.
According to Lokniti CSDS post-poll survey, in 2019 the UDF got 65% Muslim votes and 70% Christian votes, while the LDF got 28% and 24% votes respectively.
Minorities are more than majority in these four districts
- The number of Muslims and Christians in Malappuram is 72.2 percent.
- The number of Muslims and Christians in Ernakulam is 53.7 percent.
- The number of Muslims and Christians in Idukki is 50.8 percent.
- The number of Muslims and Christians in Wayanad is 50 percent.
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