Kerala’s Ezhava equation: Is the Left losing its loyal Hindu base?

 Long before electoral arithmetic began to matter, the Ezhavas were fighting for something more fundamental. Recognition, dignity and access. In 1896, a petition signed by 13,176 members of the community was submitted to the Travancore maharaja, protesting their exclusion from government jobs. It was not merely a grievance letter. It was an early articulation of collective political consciousness. Long before electoral arithmetic began to matter, the Ezhavas were fighting for something more fundamental. Recognition, dignity and access. In 1896, a petition signed by 13,176 members of the community was submitted to the Travancore maharaja, protesting their exclusion from government jobs. It was not merely a grievance letter. It was an early articulation of collective political consciousness.