Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran Congress legislator Ramesh Chennithala on Friday exuded confidence that the party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is poised for a sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly elections, projecting that it will cross the 100-seat mark and form the next government.
Kerala goes to the polls on April 9 to elect 140 new legislators.
Chennithala said the immediate priority for the UDF is to secure a clear and decisive mandate from the electorate.
“We are confident of winning more than 100 seats. The people of Kerala are looking for a change, and the UDF is ready to provide a stable and accountable government,” he said.
On the question of leadership, Chennithala made it clear that the decision on the Chief Minister will be taken by the party high command after the elections.
He stressed that leadership discussions are secondary at this stage, with the focus firmly on ensuring electoral victory.
Seeking to dispel speculation of internal discord, Chennithala asserted that the Congress and the UDF remain united.
He acknowledged that both he and the current Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, have had different styles of functioning, but maintained that there are no rifts within the party.
He also highlighted his close working relationship with senior leaders, including K.C. Venugopal and Satheesan, underlining that the front is functioning cohesively.
Turning his attention to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government, Chennithala accused it of serious lapses in rehabilitating victims of the Wayanad disaster.
He said the government had failed to deliver on its promise to complete housing for those affected.
“The rehabilitation process has been inadequate and delayed,” he alleged, assuring that a Congress-led government would complete the construction of houses in a time-bound manner.
Chennithala also claimed that during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition, he had exposed multiple instances of corruption by the government, expressing confidence that these issues would resonate with voters at the ballot box.
In 2021, while Chennithala was the Leader of Opposition and led the UDF into the polls, like many others, he too expected that, in the state where power alternates between the traditional rival fronts, the UDF would win and he would become the next Chief Minister.
But Chief Minister Vijayan retained power, in the first of its kind result, and his hopes were dashed.
His fortunes failed to prosper yet again, when despite the support of a majority of the elected Congress MLAs, he could not become the Leader of Opposition again as the party high command intervened and Satheesan was appointed.
Now with an anti-incumbency wave against Vijayan, all eyes are on whether Chennithala will be lucky if the UDF wins the polls.
(IANS)
