Kerala Legislative Assembly election, 1967
The Kerala Legislative Assembly election of 1967 was the fourth assembly election in the Indian state of Kerala. [1] [2]
Background
In the 1965 elections, no party was able to form a government in Kerala. No viable coalition took shape, and Kerala went back to President Rule for another 2 years.
Kerala again went back to the polls in 1967. Both communist parties - CPI (M) and CPI - along with smaller parties including SSP and Muslim League contested this election as a "United Front". A total of seven parties contested in the front, and the front was also known as "Sapta Kakshi Munnani". Congress and Kerala Congress contested separately.
Total polling percentage was 75.67%.
Constituencies
There were 133 constituencies in total, out of which 120 were General Category, 11 Scheduled Castes and 2 Scheduled Tribe seats.
Political parties
The national parties contested were Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National Congress, Praja Socialist Party, Sanghata Socialist Party and Swatantra Party along with the state parties Indian Union Muslim League and Kerala Congress.
Results
| Political Party | Flag | Seats Contested | Won | Net Change in seats | % of Seats |
Votes | Vote % | Change in vote % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Jana Sangh | 22 | 0 | NA | 0 | 55,584 | 0.88 | NA | ||
| Communist Party of India |  |
22 | 19 |  16 | 14.29 | 538,004 | 8.57 | 0.27 | |
| Communist Party of India (Marxist) | |
59 | 52 | 12 | 39.10 | 1,476,456 | 23.51 | 3.64 | |
| Indian National Congress |  |
133 | 9 |  27 | 6.77 | 2,789,556 | 35.43 | 1.88 | |
| Praja Socialist Party | 7 | 0 | NA | 0 | 13,991 | 0.22 | NA | ||
| Samyukta Socialist Party | 21 | 19 | 6 | 14.29 | 527,662 | 8.4 | 0.27 | ||
| Swatantra Party | 6 | 0 | NA | 14.29 | 13,105 | 0.21 | NA | ||
| Kerala Congress | 61 | 5 | 1 | 3.76 | 475,172 | 7.57 | 5.01 | ||
| IUML | 15 | 14 | 8 | 10.53 | 424,159 | 6.75 | 2.92 | ||
| Independent | 75 | 15 | 3 | 11.28 | 531,783 | 8.47 | 5.27 | ||
| Total Seats | 133 ( 0) | Voters | 8,613,658 | Turnout | 6,518,272 (75.67 %) | ||||
Government formation
The United Front performed spectacularly swept most of the seats. Congress and Kerala Congress were decimated with 9 and 5 seats respectively. E M S became the Chief Minister for the second time. Second E. M. S. Namboodiripad Ministry had 14 members. For the first time in Kerala's history, the cabinet also included members from Muslim League.
K. Karunakaran became the opposition leader in the assembly.
Fall of EMS Government
CPI (M) and CPI continued to have suspicions with each other. Due to the alleged high-handedness of CPI (M) in governance, most smaller parties were unsatisfied. This period also was marked with series of student strikes and police firings. CPI, SSP & Muslim League eventuall became a group within the front, and worked together. Many ministers from the smaller parties resigned eventually, and many parties subsequently left the front.
On October 24, 1969, EMS submitted resignation owing to the loss of majority in the assembly.
Achutha Menon Ministry
Within a week of resignation of E M S Namboothiripad, M N Govindan Nair of CPI informed the Governor that their party was ready to form an alternate government. CPI formed a government with outside support from Congress. C. Achutha Menon became the Chief Minister of Kerala on 1969, November 1. The First Achutha Menon Ministry had 8 members.
See also
- Second E. M. S. Namboodiripad Ministry
- Kerala Legislative Assembly election, 1965
- Kerala Legislative Assembly election, 1970
References
- ↑ "History of Kerala Legislature". Kerala Government. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.ceo.kerala.gov.in/pdf/KLA/KL_1965_ST_REP.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ceo.kerala.gov.in/pdf/KLA/KL_1967_ST_REP.pdf
- ↑ Thomas Johnson Nossiter (1 January 1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. University of California Press. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-520-04667-2.