Kochi: The United Democratic Front (UDF) on Thursday unveiled its manifesto for the 2025 local body elections, outlining a comprehensive agenda that prioritises housing, welfare pensions, women’s safety, public health, employment generation, and long-standing civic issues such as stray dog attacks, man-animal conflict and waterlogging.

The manifesto was released in Kochi by Opposition Leader VD Satheesan, in the presence of KPCC president Sunny Joseph and senior leaders of UDF allies, including PK Kunhalikutty, Anoop Jacob, Shibu Baby John, AN Rajan Babu, Mani C Kappan and G Devarajan.

Along with the manifesto, UDF has unveiled a ‘political charge-sheet’ named ‘Marakkilla Keralam (Kerala will Not Forget), highlighting various controversies during the LDF rule and the government’s alleged failures.

At the centre of the UDF’s promises is a plan to construct 5 lakh houses over the next five years. Beneficiary selection for these housing schemes will be decentralised through Gram Sabhas after revising the prevailing eligibility criteria, with additional support such as affordable rental housing for low-income families and documentation drives to ensure that residents living in rented homes receive government benefits.

The front has promised significant reforms to the welfare pension system, including simplifying annual requirements by making mustering mandatory only once in two years and reducing the frequency of certificates such as non-remarriage and income proofs.

It has also pledged to revive the allegedly neglected second phase of the Aasraya scheme, along with implementing a specialised action plan to alleviate poverty among Yellow and Pink ration cardholders.

Employment generation features prominently in the manifesto. The UDF plans to make the Mahatma Gandhi and Ayyankali Employment Guarantee schemes more efficient by expanding them to include bamboo and tree planting, dairy development, housing construction, and similar activities, while guaranteeing 100 work days, as in the Ayyankali scheme.

A dedicated youth component plan titled ‘Yuvashakti Nadinte Sampath’ will be rolled out with separate funds to help local bodies become unemployment-free.

The manifesto also includes a welfare program for migrant or guest workers and proposes ‘Rest and Recharge’ centres equipped with toilets, seating, drinking water, and charging points every 5 km for auto drivers and gig workers.

For women, the UDF promises an additional 3 per cent allocation for widows under the Women Component Plan. It has also committed to establishing urban Anganwadis and child development centres with daycare facilities in every corporation ward. To improve women’s safety and hygiene in public spaces, the manifesto proposes the creation of Pink Washrooms in transit hubs and markets.

Further, a Women Entrepreneur Fund will be set up to offer seed capital and e-commerce support to aspiring entrepreneurs. Child welfare measures include a Child Empowerment Centre modelled on Sikkim’s system, along with nurseries and crèches for children aged six months and above to be operated through Kudumbashree.

Public health and sanitation will be made the primary responsibility of local bodies. A special health squad will be constituted to tackle diseases such as amoebic meningoencephalitis, jaundice, cholera, and typhoid by enforcing strict sanitation practices. Waste collection will be expanded to cover 100 per cent of households, including biowaste, with modernised waste management systems and updated abattoirs, subject to strict inspections and meat waste disposal protocols.

The UDF has also outlined a multi-layered strategy to address the stray dog menace permanently. This includes strict enforcement of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, monthly mobile ABC units in every ward, the establishment of dog shelters wherever required, and the immediate removal of rabies-infected dogs from public spaces.

To address recurring infrastructure issues, the manifesto proposes a dedicated Water Supply Task Force to deal with frequent pipeline bursts and an Operation Ananta-style model to resolve chronic waterlogging in major cities. A rapid-response team will be deployed to repair potholes within 48 hours.

The UDF also plans to increase the number of comfort stations and public toilets through public-private partnerships, upgrade She-Toilets and bio-toilets, improve facilities at public crematoriums to allow families to perform rituals, and implement mental health interventions led by social work professionals to tackle issues that often lead to domestic violence. The manifesto further lays out numerous proposals in education, sports, and tourism.

The document ‘Marakkilla Keralam’ presents a critical narrative of Kerala’s governance, arguing that the state is facing a deepening crisis marked by corruption, financial distress and administrative decline. It highlights a series of high-profile scams, from gold smuggling and KIIFB financial irregularities to cooperative bank collapses and alleged kickbacks in major projects, to claims that corruption has become systemic.

Alongside this, the chargesheet portrays a breakdown of law and order, citing custodial deaths, rising violence, drug-related offences and an allegedly compromised police force unable to ensure public safety. Economically, the document asserts that Kerala is burdened by mounting debt, shrinking revenue, steep increases in taxes and utility charges and a rise in the cost of living.