Pathanamthitta: Despite banking on religious sentiments over the Sabarimala gold theft controversy, the BJP-led NDA failed to retain power in Pandalam municipality, often termed by the party workers as the “Saffron Fortress”.

The voters delivered a stinging rebuke to the BJP, stripping it of power and handing down a fractured verdict that leaves the municipality in a political limbo.

The NDA had swept the civic body in 2020 with 18 seats in the 33-member council. This time, it was left with just nine seats. The LDF made a spectacular recovery, surging to 14 seats, up from nine in 2020, to emerge as the single-largest bloc. The Congress-led UDF also gained significant ground, more than doubling its tally to 11 seats, up from five.

With no front securing the simple majority required to rule, Pandalam is now staring at a hung council, triggering immediate uncertainty about who will take the reins.

The BJP's downfall was due to prolonged administrative paralysis, as alleged by its rivals. While the party hoped to paper over the cracks with the Sabarimala sentiment, voters appeared to be unforgiving of the chaotic five-year tenure.

The administration was marred by intense infighting, including a failure to pass the municipal budget in 2021-22, a crisis that led the then secretary to seek the council's dismissal. The instability reached a peak in December last year when chairperson Suseela Santosh and deputy chairperson Remya U were forced to resign to dodge a no-confidence motion, only to return later with the support of rebels.

The BJP tried hard to make the election a referendum on faith, highlighting the recent Sabarimala gold theft controversy and targeting the CPM. However, this narrative did not work with the voters. People seemed more influenced by allegations of corruption, bribery, and a lack of development than by the gold theft issue.

In a crushing blow, the BJP’s sitting deputy chairperson, Remya U, was defeated by Congress candidate Pandalam Mahesh. The result has sparked a bitter blame game. Remya accused the LDF and UDF of an 'unholy cross-voting alliance'. “We raised the Sabarimala issue, but it failed to make an impact as people valued money over the issue,” she said.

The Congress was quick to fight back. Pandalam Mahesh dismissed the bribery claims, calling the BJP tenure the “worst administration Pandalam has seen,” and noting that the UDF lost four other seats by fewer than 10 votes, proof of a genuine anti-incumbency wave.

“To get anything done in the municipality, people had to pay bribe. There was no development in Pandalam over the past five years,” he said.

For the CPM, the result is a sweet vindication. After being cornered over the Sabarimala issue in 2020, the LDF has bounced back now. CPM councillor Rajesh Kumar G asserted that the result proves the electorate has moved past emotional politics over the Sabarimala issue. “The voters saw through the BJP's lies. The LDF government took action on the gold theft case, and the voters were convinced of the same. The people voted for our development initiatives,” he said.

With the LDF at 14 and the UDF at 11, horse-trading whispers have started spreading. And Pandalam waits to see if a new alliance will emerge to break the stalemate.