Left knocks Cong out in Kerala civic polls

Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP emerged as an electoral force in the Kerala local body elections, results for which were declared last week, even as the CPM-led Left Democratic Front won more than half of the 1,199 bodies. The BJP, which was helped by the RSS’ vast ground machinery, improved its tally in village, block and district panchayats, as well as municipalities and corporations. However, the party doesn’t appear to have gained much from its much-watched alliance with Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP Yogam). BJP state president V Muraleedharan said people of Kerala had rejected the malicious campaign of the Congress and CPM against the party. However, the CPM saw the results as a vote for secularism and against corruption.