Kerala Assembly Election 2016 : The Usual Cycle but Now a Viable Third Front

One could have easily predicted the results of the Kerala State Assembly Elections held on 16 May, 2016, by studying the voting pattern since 1970s. But what makes this result different is, with this, the BJP opens its political account in the state by winning a single seat. This paper highlights the the various reasons that has enabled the Left Democratic Front to come to power, and more importantly, examines the reasons for the BJP led National Democratic Alliance surprising success and what this means for its competitors.

Keywords:
Kerala State Assembly Election 2016, Left Democratic Front, United Democratic Front, National Democratic Alliance, BJP, anti-incumbancy, solar scam