CM Vijayan confident of stronger mandate for LDF in Kerala polls

Kannur: As campaigning drew to a close ahead of the April 9 polls in Kerala, CPI(M) veteran and state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan struck a confident tone here on Tuesday, saying his party-led front continues to enjoy public support despite a decade in power.

Drawing from his recent interactions with the public, Vijayan, who led the CPI(M)-led LDF’s poll campaign, claimed that the overall mood remained favourable to the Left Democratic Front.

“What we could understand from our interactions with the people here is that Kerala’s mindset is with the LDF,” Vijayan said at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Kannur press club.

“There was a rejection of the UDF at various levels,” the chief minister said.

He went a step further, expressing confidence about the outcome.

Vijayan said the LDF would return to power with an even stronger mandate, winning more seats than it did in the 2021 elections. The LDF had won 99 seats out of a total of 140 constituencies in 2021.

He also claimed that the BJP-led NDA would “draw a blank” in the state.

While acknowledging criticism, he stressed that it had not turned into a broader backlash.

Vijayan also responded strongly to remarks made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had alleged a CPI(M)-BJP understanding in Kerala.

Dismissing the charge, Vijayan said, “He has raised certain baseless allegations during this visit,” and added that Gandhi should speak “with a sense of accountability”.

Questioning the Congress’s political approach, Vijayan referred to its stance towards leaders like Arvind Kejriwal.

“In their eagerness to defeat their rival.... Rahul Gandhi and the Congress acted in a way that ultimately ended up helping the BJP,” he said, in a reference to his allegation that the Congress didn’t stand with former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal when the CBI arrested him on a corruption charge.