Kerala - Politics
Democracy is at its best in Kerala so far as the devolution of powers, well knit infrastructure and its functioning is concerned at grassroots level. Forty percent of the budget is directly provided to the Gram Panchayats by the state government for development activities to be taken up as per their decision and choice. MPs and MLAs have no role to play in this direct funding for development activities decided locally by the Gram Panchayats. Others states in India regard Kerala's decentralization in high esteem. Local Self Government Institutions (LSGIs) have a big and significant role to play in the overall development of the region not only ensuring direct public participation in a transparent manner but also making the people's representatives more responsible, accountable and objective to the core, observing utmost care and caution in their public dealings.
Massive capacity building activities were started under the leadership of Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissur - the nodal institution in this regard. Kerala has a three- tier structure of Panchayats. There are 1209 LSGs in Kerala spread over 14 Districts having 14 District Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats and 978 Gram Panchayats for rural areas and 60 Municipal councils and 05 Municipal corporations for urban areas.
An important feature of the freedom movement in Kerala in the 1920s and 1930s was the increasing involvement of peasants and workers. This was to release a tremendous mass force into the mainstream of the national movement, giving it a new momentum and a social content. The peasant and labour movements of the 1930s were to a great extent the cause as well as the consequence of the emergence of a powerful left wing in politics. In 1934, the left nationalists joined together and organized the Congress Socialist Party.
A powerful factor that helped the growth of the left movement was the support it received from the radical section of the nationalist Muslims in Malabar. Left groups started functioning in several parts of Malabar and soon the Kerala Provincial Congress Committee was dominated by them. The previously oppressed became enamored with the siren song of radical egalitarianism and became Communists. To this day, they remain so, thus enabling Communism to retain a foothold in Kerala.
The lull in the political horizon had largely been made up. By 1938-39 Kerala was fully drawn into the national struggle for freedom as well as the struggle for responsible Government in the princely States. The leftists preferred to remain organizationally within the Congress and call themselves socialists. Thus both the left and right groups joined together in order to ensure the success of the Congress candidates in the election of 1936 in Malabar. But the rift came into the open with the out-break of the Second World War, the resignation of the Congress ministries in the provinces and the starting of individual satyagraha. The Left met in a secret enclave at Pinarayi and in December 1939, the Communist Party was born.
When Kerala was formed, the State was under the President's rule. The new State went to the polls for the first time in March 1957. There were 126 Assembly and 16 Parliamentary seats. The Communist Party of India emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly with 60 seats. Shri E.M.S.Namboodiripad formed an 11-member ministry on 5 April 1957 with the support of some independents. Political agitation and unrest extending over several months, culminated in the taking over of the administration of the State and the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly, under Article 356 of the Constitution, by the president of India on 31 July 1959. Mid-term elections followed in February next year. A three-party alliance comprising the Congress, the Praja Socialist Party and the Muslim League was returned to power. Shri Pattom A.Thanu Pillai (PSP) took over as the coalition Chief Minister, leading a council of eleven ministers in February 1960. Shri R.Sankar (Congress) was designated as the Deputy Chief Minister. Shri. Pattom A.Thanu Pillai however, resigned on 25 September 1962, consequent on a gubernatorial appointment and Shri.R.Sankar was appointed Chief Minister the next day. Shri.Sankar continued as Chief Minister for about two years.
A political crisis precipitated in September 1964, when about 15 Congress legislators lent their support to a no-confidence motion against the ministry. The motion was carried. The legislature was dissolved on 10 September and the State thereupon passed under President's rule. Elections were held in March 1965. A fresh delimitation of constituencies had taken place in between. There were 133 Assembly and 19 Parliamentary constituencies. The election proved abortive in the sense that no single party could form a ministry commanding majority support. Once again on 25 March, 1965, Kerala was put under President's administration.
The State went to the polls two years later at the time of the general elections in March 1967. A new polarization of political forces had emerged in the meantime, leading to new electoral alliances. Politically the most potent combination was the new united front of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India, the Muslim League, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Karshaka Thozhilali Party and the Kerala Socialist Party. This seven-party combine was voted to power leading to the formation of a ministry headed by Shri.E.M.S.Namboodiripad (CPI-M). The Cabinet consisted of four members of the Marxist Party, two each of the CPI, the Muslim League and the SSP and one each of the RSP, the KTP and the KSP.
Shri.Namboodiripad's second ministry had a chequered tenure until one of the ministers of the original SSP constituent, who had inter alia left the party to join the newly formed Indian Socialist Party group, had to resign from the Cabinet to face a judicial enquiry. The ministers belonging to the C.P.I., the Muslim League, the RSP and the KSP tendered their resignation in October 1969. Shri Namboodiripad himself resigned on 24th October, 1969. As distinct from previous crises, the legislature was intact. A fresh alignment of forces within the Assembly initiated the formation of an eight-member cabinet headed by Shri.C.Achutha Menon (CPI) in November 1969. The ruling alliance consisted of the CPI, the KSP, the Muslim League, the R.S.P. and the Kerala Congress. The Assembly was dissolved on 26th June, 1970 on the advice of the Chief Minister who tendered the resignation of his council of ministers on 1st August 1970.
Elections were held in September, 1970. The partners of the ruling front now included the Indian National Congress, the CPI, the RSP, the Muslim League and the Praja Socialist Party and were returned with a considerable majority. Shri.C.Achutha Menon formed his second ministry on 4th October, 1970. The Indian National Congress supported the front Government without joining it. The Cabinet was expanded on two occasions, once when the Indian National Congress joined it in September 1971 and for the second time in December, 1975 to accommodate Kerala Congress nominees. The fourth Legislative Assembly was unique in many respects. It emerged as the first Assembly in the chequered post-independence history of the State, which completed its normal constitutional term. Moreover, the normal term of the Assembly was extended on three occasions - for a period of six months from 22nd October 1975, for a second period of six months from 22nd April 1976 and for yet another six months from 22nd October 1976.
Elections were then held in March 1977, the sixth to be held since the formation of the State. The ruling front, essentially a continuation of the previous alignment of forces, won a decisive majority. Cabinet leadership now passed on to Shri.K.Karunakaran of the Congress who formed a ministry on 25 March 1977. But this ministry was short-lived. Shri.Karunakaran tendered the resignation of his Cabinet on 25 April 1977 following certain reference by the Kerala High Court in what had been known as the Rajan case. Shri.A.K.Antony (Congress) became the next Chief Minister. However, in the wake of differences of opinion of the Congress Working Committee on the attitude of the Congress vis-a-vis parliamentary by-election at Chikmagalur in Karnataka, Shri Antony resigned his Chief Ministership on 27 October 1978. Shri.P.K.Vasudevan Nair (CPI) took over as Chief Minister on 29 October 1978. But his ministry also resigned on 7 October 1979 in order to create a favourable atmosphere for the formation of a Left Democratic Front in Kerala. Shri.C.H.Muhammad Koya was sworn-in as Chief Minister on 12 October 1979, but the four-member ministry could continue in office only for a short term. The ministry resigned on 1 December 1979 and the Assembly was dissolved. Again President's rule was invoked in Kerala up to 24th January 1980. Political alignment in Kerala had then undergone a sea change involving a drastic regrouping of major political parties.
Shri.A.K.Antony rendered the resignation of his cabinet on 29 August 2004. A five-member ministry under the chief ministership of Shri Oommen Chandy assumed charge of office on 31 August 2004. Shri.Therambil Ramakrishnan was elected as the Speaker.The ministry was further expanded to a 20-member cabinet. INC faced a split in 2005, a new party DIC (K) was formed under the leadership of veteran Congress leader K.Karunakaran on 1 May 2005. Election to the 12th Assembly was conducted in three phases on 22nd, 29th April and May 3rd. The LDF won with 98 seats. The 19-member LDF ministry was sworn into power on 18th May 2006 with Shri.V.S.Achuthanandan as the Chief Minister. Shri.K.Radhakrishnan was elected as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker Shri. Jose Baby. In the 140-member house, the LDF secured 98 seats, the UDF secured 41 seats and the DIC (K) secured one seat. The LDF got 48.63 percent of the votes poled and the UDF got 42.98 percent. The difference between the two fronts was 5.65 percentage points.
The 21st ministry headed by Shri. Oommen Chandy as Chief Minister was sworn in by His Excellency R.S.Gavai, Governor of Kerala on 23 May 2011. The UDF lead ministry includes Shri. P. K. Abdu Rabb, Shri. Adoor Prakash, Shri. A. P. Anilkumar, Shri. Aryadan Mohammed, Shri. K. Babu, Shri. C. N. Balakrishnan, Shri. V. K. Ebrahim Kunju, Shri. K. B. Ganesh Kumar, Shri. T. M. Jacob, Kumari P. K. Jayalekshmi, Shri. K. C. Joseph, Shri. P. J. Joseph, Shri. P. K. Kunhalikutty, Shri. K. M. Mani, Shri. K. P. Mohanan, Dr. M. K. Muneer, Shri. Shibu Baby John, Shri. V.S. Sivakumar and Shri. Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
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