THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPM and LDF are on the defensive after losing face in the local body elections. The party leadership is evaluating the defeat that occurred just months before the assembly elections. The information received from the initial discussions is that the Sabarimala gold loot case has also been a setback, along with the anti-government sentiment.

The LDF lost all but Kozhikode in the five corporations it had ruled after the last election. The NDA's advance in Thiruvananthapuram and the defeat in Kollam and Alappuzha districts were unexpected setbacks. LDF could not win in the Kochi and Thrissur corporations either.

The three-tier panchayats have also abandoned the LDF. The number of panchayats it held last time has come down to 341 from 514. Only 63 out of 108 blocks hav

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