Thiruvananthapuram: Outgoing Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has dismissed the reports that the Congress votes had shifted to the BJP and insisted that the shift was to the LDF. Mr Chandy, who submitted his resignation to Governor P. Sathasivam on Friday, said that many votes which should have gone to the UDF shifted to the Left in seats where the BJP had a winning chance.
The LDF was the beneficiary of such a shift in Nemom and Kazhakuttom, Mr Chandy said. “In a democracy, the people have the last word. We will go ahead by rectifying our defects,” Mr Chandy said. He asserted that the people were not angry with the UDF government. “Otherwise, how could the chief minister and 14 other minister have won the elections,” Mr Chandy said.
He had not expected a victory for the LDF. Communal undercurrents were one of the reasons for the failure of the UDF, Mr Chandy claimed. “This is only a temporary phenomenon and the Congress will come back with strength. The party and the front have the responsibility for the setback, but as UDF chairman, I have more responsibility,” he said.
On reports that he was not willing to take up the post of Opposition Leader, he said, “it is a matter to be discussed at the party level. I have nothing more to say.” Mr Chandy alleged that the CPM was trying to sabotage the liquor policy of the UDF government.
The LDF did not respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement comparing the state with Somalia. Only the UDF leaders had come out against the statement, Mr Chandy said. The UDF and the Congress would meet on Monday to discuss the poll debacle and take stock of the situation, he said.
