Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress leaders are elated that their predictions of sweeping the polls in the state have almost come true. Though they hoped for a 20/20 victory, the loss in Alappuzha reduced that number.
Some had feared a CPM victory in Attingal and Palakkad and a close fight in Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthittta and Thrissur.
However, the results have proved that party president Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in Wayanad had created a wave in favour of the UDF.
KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala and AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy have asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to resign owning up moral responsibility for the LDF’s rout. They claim that the stand taken by the previous UDF government on the Sabarimala issue, which filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court had been proved right.
The voters were convinced about the wrong positions taken by the LDF and the NDA, they say.
A senior Congress MLA told this newspaper that Rahul Gandhi’s candidature and the murder politics of the Left had helped the party.
“The BJP was not our main opponent except in three seats. There were doubts only about the chances of Shashi Tharoor, T.N. Prathapan and V. K. Sreekandan in Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur and Palakkad respectively,” he said.
Alappuzha UDF candidate Shanimol Usman’s defeat by Aroor sitting MLA A. A. Arif has dampened the spirits of Chennithala, who belongs to the district, apart from CWC member A.K. Antony.
The UDF has nine candidates in the over a lakh club — N.K. Premachandran (Kollam), Thomas Chazhikadan (Kottayam), Dean Kuriakose (Idukki), Hibi Eden (Ernakulam), Benny Behanan (Chalakudy), Remya Haridas (Alathur), P. K. Kunhalikutty (Malappuram), E. T. Muhammed Basheer (Ponnani) and Rahul Gandhi (Wayanad).
There will be byelections in Vattiyoorkavu, Konni, Aroor and Ernakulam Assembly seats apart from Pala and Manjeswaram owing to the death of KC (M) chairman K.M. Mani and Muslim League leader P.B. Abdul Razak respectively.
