kit wrote:kerala is not so different from bengal despite being 100% literate .. which sane person will vote the commies
'Voting for commies' is the first step in misunderstanding KL politics. Yes their name says 'communist', but they're as Communist as CPC in Beijing, perhaps less, despite wasting vocal energy babbling 'China's chairman is our chairman' from the local street corner now and then.
LDP is a vote bloc, solidified over decades of patronage network building, where many communities depend on them in a symbiotic socio-economic contract - we vote for you, you look after our business and life interests.
LDF and UDF are not parties in KL as much as patronage networks with an assiduously cultivated base and a floating voter base that switches between the two opportunistically.
BJPs key to gaining a foothold is building a social network of its own - a collection of leaders and cadre who can offer support to its voting group and build a base with them. Their natural vote base is the LDF, and the actions of LDF (e.g. Sabarimala) should serve as fuel to cause people to move to BJP, but it still requires work because people would rather vote for a bad but still powerful LDF than a powerless state BJP.