Sabarimala issue did not affect voters’ preferences. But people’s stand on the unresolved case has hardened
Shreyas Sardesai
One of the many reasons for the defeat of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala in the 2019 Lok Sabha election was believed to be the State government’s handling of the Sabarimala temple entry issue. A final verdict in the case is still pending, but the fact that the issue had remained unresolved and the opposition kept up the pressure on the Pinarayi Vijayan government led to the speculation that the LDF’s prospects might get affected again. But its resounding victory makes it clear that the issue failed to make any dent to the Left’s performance.
The Lokniti-CSDS’s post-poll survey found that the Sabarimala issue was not a priority for most voters anymore. Instead, development, government performance and corruption mattered more. Second, even though people continued to hold strong opinions about the issue, they do not seem to have punished the Left for it in the same way they did in 2019. Among the six of every ten (58%) people who said that they fully opposed the Sabarimala verdict, the UDF got 42% of their votes and the LDF was very close behind at 38%.
However, the survey also found that most people continue to be unhappy with the way the LDF has dealt with the matter. Public opinion on the issue was found to have hardened further, with both the general public and Hindus, in particular, taking an even stronger stand than in 2019. Whereas 48% had fully opposed the judgment in 2019, this time the figure was even higher at 58%.
The author is a Research Associate at Lokniti-CSDS, Delhi
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