Kerala Left Front to induct 4 new allies

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling Left Democratic Front-led by the CPI-M on Wednesday decided to induct the Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), Indian National League, Democratic Kerala Congress and Kerala Congress (Pillai), the LDF convenor said.

The decision to induct the four new allies came after much dilly dallying.

Speaking to the media here after a LDF meeting, Convenor A. Vijayaraghavan said there were at least a dozen political outfits that work in tandem with the LDF and following discussions they have decided to give membership to four.

"It includes Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), Indian National League, Democratic Kerala Congress and Kerala Congress (Pillai)," said Vijayaraghavan.

With this the total number of LDF allies rose to 10. The rest include the CPI-M, CPI, Janata Dal(S), NCP, Kerala Congress (Skaria Thomas) and Congress (Secular).

Among the new inductees, the Kerala Congress (Pillai) has just one legislator, while the other three parties do not have any legislators.

Incidentally, for the LJD supremo and media baron M.P.Veerendra Kumar, it was a return to the LDF.

The Indian National League (INL) has also been part and parcel of the LDF for a long time and in the 2016 assembly polls it was given three seats to contest, but failed to win any.

This comes ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the Communist Party of India-Marxist is determined to win as many seats as possible.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the LDF won eight of the 20 seats that it contested .