Government of Kerala
Encyclopedia
The Government of Kerala
is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala
, India
for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor
of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister
as real head of the executive. The state government maintains its capital at Thiruvananthapuram
(Trivandrum). The Government of Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956 after merging of Royal States of Travancore-Cochin with Malabar
as part of States Reorganization Act-1956.
for a term of five years. The executive and legislative powers lie with the Chief Minister
and his council of ministers, who are appointed by the Governor. The Governors of the states and territories of India
have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level. Only Indian citizens above 35 years of age are eligible for appointment. Governors discharge all constitutional functions such as the appointment of the Chief Minister, sending reports to the President about failure of constitutional machinery in a state, or with respect to issues relating to the assent to a bill
passed by legislature, exercise or their own opinion.
M. O. H. Farook
has been the present governor since 4 Sept 2011.
The Governor enjoys many different types of powers:
comprises the governor and the legislative assembly, which is the highest political organ in state. The governor has the power to summon the assembly or to close the same.
All members of the legislative assembly are directly elected, normally once in every five years by the eligible voters who are above 18 years of age. The current assembly consists of 140 elected members and one member nominated by the governor from the Anglo-Indian
Community.
The elected members select one of its own members as its chairman who is called the speaker
. The speaker is assisted by the deputy speaker who is also elected by the members. The conduct of meeting in the house is the responsibility of the Speaker.
The main function of the assembly
is to pass laws and rules. Every bill passed by the house has to be finally approved by the governor before it becomes applicable.
The normal term of the legislative assembly is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. But while a proclamation of state of emergency
is in operation, the said period will be extended by Parliament
by Laws for a period not exceeding one year at a time.
The High Court of Kerala is the apex court for the state; it also hears cases from the Union Territory of Lakshadweep
. It is a court of record and has all the powers of such a court including the authority to punish an individual for contempt of court
. Like all other High Courts of India
, this court also consists of a Chief Justice
and other judges who are appointed by the President of India. At present, the sanctioned Judge strength of the High Court of Kerala is 27 Permanent Judges including the Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and two additional judges. Every judge
including the Chief Justice is appointed by the President of India by Warrant under his hand and seal. Every permanent and additional judge will continue in office until the age of 62.
The High Court of Kerala is located in Ernakulam
and there are courts in every district centers and some municipal centers.
on the recommendations by the Chief Minister. Judiciary
has been separated from the executive in Kerala like other Indian states.
head of state and is vested with most of the executive powers; the Legislative Assembly's majority party leader is appointed to this position by the Governor. The present Chief Minister is Oommen Chandy
, who took office on 13 May 2011. Generally, the winning party decides the chief minister. In many cases, the party focuses a chief ministerial candidate during the election.
The Council of Ministers, which answers to the Legislative Assembly, has its members appointed by the Governor; the appointments receive input from the Chief Minister. They are collectively responsible to the legislative assembly of the State. Generally, the winning party and its chief minister chooses the ministers list and submit the list for the Governor's approval.
,21 revenue divisions,14 District Panchayats, 63 taluks, 152 CD blocks, 1453 revenue villages, 978 Gram panchayat
s, 5 corporations and 60 municipalities. The business of the state government is transacted through the various secretariat departments based on the rules of business. Each department consists of secretary to government, who is the official head of the department and such other under secretaries, junior secretaries, officers and staffs subordinate to him/her. The Chief secretary superintending control over the whole secretariat and staff attached to the ministers.
The department is further divided into sections, each of which is under the charge of a section officer. Apart from these sections, dealing with the subjects allotted to them, there are other offices sections, assigned with specific duties. When there is more than one secretary in a department, there shall be a clear separation of work.
The Kerala State Emblem
is a derivative version of the Royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Travancore. The state emblem symbolizes two elephants guarding the Imperial Shanku
in its Imperial crest. The Imperial Counch Crest or Shanku was the Imperial Insignia of Lord Sree Padmanabha (A form of Lord Vishnu)- the National Deity of Travancore. Shanku was considered as one of the common emblems of majority of Kerala feudal kingdoms. The Kingdom of Cochin and Zamorin's Malabar also had counch as state emblems. When the Kingdoms of Cochin
and Travancore merged together in 1949, for a brief period, the crest carried a wheel or chakra
in centre with Shanku on top of it. With accession of Malabar
into Travancore-Cochin, the state of Kerala was formed in 1957. During this time, the royal coat of arms of the Travancore kingdom was modified by placing the "Lion Capital of Ashoka" on top of the Imperial conch. The Travancore Royal Family uses the erstwhile Royal Coat of Arms of Travancore today, whereas Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Trivandrum uses only the Imperial Conch crest as its Coat of Arms.
The state animal of Kerala is elephant
and the government emblem
has also two elephants in it. The state bird is the Great Indian hornbill (ML:മലമ്പുഴക്കി വേഴാമ്പല്), the state flower is the Golden shower
(ML:കണിക്കൊന്ന) and the state tree is the coconut tree and the state fish is pearlspot
or karimeen ( കരിമീന് )
, State assembly and regional panchayats
. Due to the large numbers of eligible voters, over 21 million
, elections are usually held on several dates. Like all other Indian states, the minimum age of registration of a voter is 18 years.
Politics in Kerala are dominated by two political fronts: the Communist party
-led Left Democratic Front
(LDF) and the Indian National Congress
-led United Democratic Front
(UDF) since late 1970s. These two parties have alternated in power since 1982. According to the 2011 Kerala Legislative Assembly election results
, the UDF has a majority in the state assembly
(72/140).
The political alliance has strongly stabilized and, with rare exceptions, most of the coalition partners maintain loyalty to the alliance. As a result of this, power has alternated between these two fronts since 1979.
In terms of individual parties, the state has a strong leanings towards socialism
and thus Communist parties
have made strong inroads in Kerala. The Malabar region, particularly Kannur
and Palakkad
, are considered the heartland of the Communist parties. The Kollam
and Alapuzha districts, where trade unions have a strong presence, are generally inclined to Left parties, though several times the UDF has won. The largest Communist party is the CPIM
and the second largest is the CPI
The Indian National Congress
, which leads the UDF coalition, has had a very strong presence in Kerala since pre-Independence days. The Congress party has great popularity in the Thrissur
, Ernakulam
and Thiruvananthapuram
regions.
Other popular regional parties are
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for a period of 5 years. The state government is headed by the Governor
Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of states of India
The Governors and Lieutenant-Governors of the states and territories of India have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level. Governors exist in the states while Lieutenant-Governors exist in union territories and in the National Capital...
of Kerala as the nominal head of state, with a democratically elected Chief Minister
Chief Minister of Kerala
The Chief Minister of Kerala is the elected head of government of the state of Kerala, India. By the Constitution of India, the Chief minister is appointed by the Governor of the state....
as real head of the executive. The state government maintains its capital at Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
(Trivandrum). The Government of Kerala was formed on November 1, 1956 after merging of Royal States of Travancore-Cochin with Malabar
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
as part of States Reorganization Act-1956.
Governor
The Governor is appointed by the PresidentPresident of India
The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary...
for a term of five years. The executive and legislative powers lie with the Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
and his council of ministers, who are appointed by the Governor. The Governors of the states and territories of India
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level. Only Indian citizens above 35 years of age are eligible for appointment. Governors discharge all constitutional functions such as the appointment of the Chief Minister, sending reports to the President about failure of constitutional machinery in a state, or with respect to issues relating to the assent to a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
passed by legislature, exercise or their own opinion.
M. O. H. Farook
M. O. Hasan Farook Maricar is a three time Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Pondicherry, then Pondicherry...
has been the present governor since 4 Sept 2011.
The Governor enjoys many different types of powers:
- Executive powers related to administration, appointments and removals.
- Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislature.
- Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor.
Legislature
The legislatureLegislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
comprises the governor and the legislative assembly, which is the highest political organ in state. The governor has the power to summon the assembly or to close the same.
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
Community.
The elected members select one of its own members as its chairman who is called the speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
. The speaker is assisted by the deputy speaker who is also elected by the members. The conduct of meeting in the house is the responsibility of the Speaker.
The main function of the assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
is to pass laws and rules. Every bill passed by the house has to be finally approved by the governor before it becomes applicable.
The normal term of the legislative assembly is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. But while a proclamation of state of emergency
State of Emergency in India
A state of emergency in India refers to a period of governance under an altered constitutional setup that can be proclaimed by the President of India, when he perceives grave threats to the nation from internal and external sources or from financial situations of crisis...
is in operation, the said period will be extended by Parliament
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
by Laws for a period not exceeding one year at a time.
Judiciary
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep , formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 km off the coast of the South West Indian state of Kerala...
. It is a court of record and has all the powers of such a court including the authority to punish an individual for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
. Like all other High Courts of India
High Courts of India
India's unitary judicial system is made up of the Supreme Court of India at the national level, for the entire country and the 21 High Courts at the State level. These courts have jurisdiction over a state, a union territory or a group of states and union territories...
, this court also consists of a Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
and other judges who are appointed by the President of India. At present, the sanctioned Judge strength of the High Court of Kerala is 27 Permanent Judges including the Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and two additional judges. Every judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
including the Chief Justice is appointed by the President of India by Warrant under his hand and seal. Every permanent and additional judge will continue in office until the age of 62.
The High Court of Kerala is located in Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
and there are courts in every district centers and some municipal centers.
Executive
Like in other Indian states, the Executive arm of the state is responsible for the day-to-day management of the state. It consists of the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers. The Chief Minister and the council of ministers also have been appointed by the governor. Governor summons prorogues and dissolves the legislature. He can close the legislative assemblyLegislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
on the recommendations by the Chief Minister. Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
has been separated from the executive in Kerala like other Indian states.
Chief Minister
The executive authority is headed by the Chief Minister of Kerala, who is the de factoDe facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
head of state and is vested with most of the executive powers; the Legislative Assembly's majority party leader is appointed to this position by the Governor. The present Chief Minister is Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy
Oommen Chandy is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Kerala. He has held the Chief Minister of Kerala position earlier from 2004 to 2006, and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2011.-Early life:Oommen Chandy or 'Kunjoonju' was born...
, who took office on 13 May 2011. Generally, the winning party decides the chief minister. In many cases, the party focuses a chief ministerial candidate during the election.
Council of Ministers
The Council of Ministers, which answers to the Legislative Assembly, has its members appointed by the Governor; the appointments receive input from the Chief Minister. They are collectively responsible to the legislative assembly of the State. Generally, the winning party and its chief minister chooses the ministers list and submit the list for the Governor's approval.
Administrative divisions
Kerala State has been divided into 14 districtsDistricts of Kerala
The Indian state of Kerala borders with the states of Tamil Nadu on the south and east, Karnataka on the north and the Arabian Sea coastline on the west. The Western Ghats, bordering the eastern boundary of the State, form an almost continuous mountain wall, except near Palakkad where there is a...
,21 revenue divisions,14 District Panchayats, 63 taluks, 152 CD blocks, 1453 revenue villages, 978 Gram panchayat
Gram panchayat
Gram panchayats are local self-governments at the village or small town level in India. As of 2002 there were about 265,000 gram panchayats in India. The gram panchayat is the foundation of the Panchayat System. A gram panchayat can be set up in villages with minimum population of 300...
s, 5 corporations and 60 municipalities. The business of the state government is transacted through the various secretariat departments based on the rules of business. Each department consists of secretary to government, who is the official head of the department and such other under secretaries, junior secretaries, officers and staffs subordinate to him/her. The Chief secretary superintending control over the whole secretariat and staff attached to the ministers.
The department is further divided into sections, each of which is under the charge of a section officer. Apart from these sections, dealing with the subjects allotted to them, there are other offices sections, assigned with specific duties. When there is more than one secretary in a department, there shall be a clear separation of work.
Departments
- Finance Department
- Forests and Wildlife Department
- I&PRD Department
- NORKA Department
- PWD DepartmentDepartment of Public Works (Kerala)Kerala Public Works Department is a department under the Government of Kerala, India. It manages the construction and maintenance of civil structures owned by the government viz; government buildings, government owned hospitals , roads, bridges etc...
- Tourism DepartmentDepartment of Tourism (Kerala)Kerala Tourism Department is a major government ministry under Kerala Government. It is prime regulatory agency that overviews and supervises entire tourism activities of the state...
- Revenue DepartmentDepartment of Revenue and Land Survey (Kerala)The Department of Revenue and Land survey, is a key government department under Government of Kerala, that manages all government owned lands and decides land use policy in the state of Kerala. The department is also key government agency, to derive various taxes on land as well as lease amounts...
- Civil Supplies Department
- Industries DepartmentDepartment of Industries (Kerala)The Department of Industries is a key government department, that oversees industrial activity in the Indian state of Kerala. The DOI is a senior cabinet department lead by a senior minister and team of 15 secretaries. The administrative head of the Industries & Commerce Department is the Principal...
- Education DepartmentDepartment of General and Higher Education (Kerala)The Department of General and Higher Education is the Government of Kerala's body for higher education.- External links :*...
- Agricultural Department
- Law Department
- Water Resources Department
State insignias
Seal of Kerala
The State emblem of Kerala used by Government of Kerala, to represent the state in all its official correspondences. The emblem symbolizes 2 elephants guarding the state and national insignias.- Description :...
is a derivative version of the Royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Travancore. The state emblem symbolizes two elephants guarding the Imperial Shanku
Conch
A conch is a common name which is applied to a number of different species of medium-sized to large sea snails or their shells, generally those which are large and have a high spire and a siphonal canal....
in its Imperial crest. The Imperial Counch Crest or Shanku was the Imperial Insignia of Lord Sree Padmanabha (A form of Lord Vishnu)- the National Deity of Travancore. Shanku was considered as one of the common emblems of majority of Kerala feudal kingdoms. The Kingdom of Cochin and Zamorin's Malabar also had counch as state emblems. When the Kingdoms of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...
and Travancore merged together in 1949, for a brief period, the crest carried a wheel or chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
in centre with Shanku on top of it. With accession of Malabar
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
into Travancore-Cochin, the state of Kerala was formed in 1957. During this time, the royal coat of arms of the Travancore kingdom was modified by placing the "Lion Capital of Ashoka" on top of the Imperial conch. The Travancore Royal Family uses the erstwhile Royal Coat of Arms of Travancore today, whereas Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of Trivandrum uses only the Imperial Conch crest as its Coat of Arms.
The state animal of Kerala is elephant
Indian Elephant
The Indian Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...
and the government emblem
Seal of Kerala
The State emblem of Kerala used by Government of Kerala, to represent the state in all its official correspondences. The emblem symbolizes 2 elephants guarding the state and national insignias.- Description :...
has also two elephants in it. The state bird is the Great Indian hornbill (ML:മലമ്പുഴക്കി വേഴാമ്പല്), the state flower is the Golden shower
Golden Shower Tree
Cassia fistula, known as the golden shower tree and other names, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southern Asia, from southern Pakistan east through India to Myanmar and south to Sri Lanka. It is the national tree of Thailand, and its flower is Thailand's national flower...
(ML:കണിക്കൊന്ന) and the state tree is the coconut tree and the state fish is pearlspot
Green chromide
The green chromide is a species of cichlid fish from freshwater and brackish water in southern India and Sri Lanka...
or karimeen ( കരിമീന് )
Elections
Elections to the state assembly are held every five years. Elections are generally held for ParliamentParliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
, State assembly and regional panchayats
Panchayati Raj
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. "Panchayat" literally means assembly of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between individuals and villages...
. Due to the large numbers of eligible voters, over 21 million
Million
One million or one thousand thousand, is the natural number following 999,999 and preceding 1,000,001. The word is derived from the early Italian millione , from mille, "thousand", plus the augmentative suffix -one.In scientific notation, it is written as or just 106...
, elections are usually held on several dates. Like all other Indian states, the minimum age of registration of a voter is 18 years.
Politics
Kerala has a unique position in India as one of the most politicized states. It has the nation's largest politically aware population, which actively participates in state politics.Politics in Kerala are dominated by two political fronts: the Communist party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
-led Left Democratic Front
Left Democratic Front
Left Democratic Front is a coalition of left winged political parties in the state of Kerala, in India. This is one of the two major political coalitions in Kerala, each of which have been in power alternatively for the last two decades. LDF is the coalition that is presently in oppposition...
(LDF) and the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
-led United Democratic Front
United Democratic Front (India)
United Democratic Front is an alliance of political parties of Kerala state in India. This alliance is led by the Indian National Congress....
(UDF) since late 1970s. These two parties have alternated in power since 1982. According to the 2011 Kerala Legislative Assembly election results
Kerala State legislative assembly election, 2011
The thirteenth legislative assembly election was held on 13 April 2011 to elect members of the 140 constituencies in Kerala. Election results were released on 13 May 2011. The results proved to be one of the closest elections in Kerala's history, with the UDF beating the LDF by a margin of 4...
, the UDF has a majority in the state assembly
Kerala Legislative Assembly
The Kerala Legislative Assembly more popularly known as Niyamasabha , is the law making body of Kerala, one of the 28 States in India. The Assembly is formed by 140 elected representatives and one nominated member from the Anglo-Indian community...
(72/140).
The political alliance has strongly stabilized and, with rare exceptions, most of the coalition partners maintain loyalty to the alliance. As a result of this, power has alternated between these two fronts since 1979.
In terms of individual parties, the state has a strong leanings towards socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and thus Communist parties
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
have made strong inroads in Kerala. The Malabar region, particularly Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
and Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
, are considered the heartland of the Communist parties. The Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...
and Alapuzha districts, where trade unions have a strong presence, are generally inclined to Left parties, though several times the UDF has won. The largest Communist party is the CPIM
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
and the second largest is the CPI
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
The Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, which leads the UDF coalition, has had a very strong presence in Kerala since pre-Independence days. The Congress party has great popularity in the Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, Ernakulam
Ernakulam
Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...
and Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
regions.
Other popular regional parties are
- The Kerala CongressKerala CongressThe Kerala Congress is a recognized State political party in Kerala, India. The party was founded by K. M. George in October 1964 after a group of legislators decided to break from the Indian National Congress...
, which has more than 4 denominations after breaking away from the original party. It has strong influence among settlement populations in Hilly regions. The various Kerala Congress denominations are primarily patronized by the Orthodox Christian community and NairNairNair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
populations, mostly in Central Travancore areas like KottayamKottayamKottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...
, Iddukki and PathanamthittaPathanamthittaPathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...
. Today, most of Kerala Congress parties are with the UDF.
- The Indian Union Muslim LeagueIndian Union Muslim LeagueIndian Union Muslim League is a state political party in the state of Kerala, India. The chief support base of the party falls inside northern and central Kerala...
is a powerful pro-Muslim community-oriented party, which was started as the Muslim League prior to Independence, yet decided to transfer their allegiance to the Indian Union after Independence, when the original Muslim League went to Pakistan. The IUML-Kerala unit is the only Muslim League group to declare its allegiance and loyalty to India and hence become a state party in post-Independence India. The party has strongholds mostly in Muslim-dominated districts like KozhikodeKozhikodeKozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
, MalappuramMalappuramMalappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...
and Kasargod. They form the second largest party within the UDF.
- Socialist groups, consisting of several small fragmented parties like the NCPNationalist Congress PartyThe Nationalist Congress Party is a centre to centre left political party primarily based in the state of Maharashtra, India.-Background:...
, SJD-SSocialist Janata (Democratic) PartySocialist Janata Party is broke away from Janata Dal . This party is part of United Democratic Front in Kerala .-History:The Kerala unit of the Janata Dal is a part of the CPI -led Left Democratic Front. The CPI-JD ties came under strain around 2008...
, JDSJanata Dal (Secular)The Janata Dal is a Centre-left ಕನ್ನಡ: ಜನತಾ ದಳIndian political party led by former Prime Minister of India H.D. Deve Gowda.The party recognized as state party in the states of Karnataka and Kerala . It was formed in July 1999 by the split of Janata Dal party. It has political presence mainly in...
, and Congress-S, are mainly pro-center-left socialist parties having very limited influence in a few pocket areas. Most of the socialist groups are with the LDF, though in a few instances, some of them changed their loyalties to the UDF.
- Communist parties consist of various groups which have broken away from the CPIMCommunist Party of India (Marxist)The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
. They are mostly center-left parties, though a few are extreme-left. While a few center-left parties like the RSPRevolutionary Socialist Party (India)Revolutionary Socialist Party is a Marxist-Leninist political party in India. The party was founded on March 19, 1940 and has its roots in the Bengali liberation movement Anushilan Samiti and the Hindustan Socialist Republican Army. The party got around 0,4% of the votes and three seats in the Lok...
have joined with the LDF, those that broke away from the CPIM, like the CMPCommunist Marxist PartyCommunist Marxist Party is a political party in Kerala, south India. The party was founded in 1986 when Communist Party of India leader M. V. Raghavan was expelled from the CPI due to a grave difference of opinion regarding the formation of alliances with the Muslim League...
and JSSJanathipathiya Samrakshana SamithyJanathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy is a political party in the Indian state of Kerala. The party was formed in 1994 when the CPI leader K.R. Gowri Amma was expelled from Communist Party of India . She is the widow of the Communist Party of India leader T.V...
, led by erstwhile CPIM veterans who were expelled from CPIM, have joined with the UDF.