Sabarimala Women Entry in SC: Pinarayi’s Pathetic U-Turns to Reclaim lost Hindu Votes Just before Assembly Polls.

The article critiques Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s shifting stance on the Sabarimala temple issue, characterizing it as a calculated political strategy rather than a matter of principle. It outlines how the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government initially took a hardline approach in 2018 by facilitating the entry of women of all ages into the shrine following a Supreme Court verdict, which led to widespread protests from Hindu devotees who felt their traditions were being disregarded. However, as the Kerala assembly elections approached, the narrative shifted, with the government expressing regret over the previous “hasty” implementation and promising to wait for the final Supreme Court decision after consultations with all stakeholders. The author argues that this “U-turn” was a cynical attempt to woo the Hindu vote bank and mitigate the political backlash from the Nair Service Society and other traditionalist groups. Ultimately, the piece presents the LDF’s evolving position as an example of political opportunism where religious sentiments are manipulated for electoral gains, contrasting the previous aggressive secularist posture with the more recent conciliatory tone adopted to secure a second term in power.