THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan alleged in the Assembly on Monday that the Opposition had tried to cash in on the abduction and murder of Kevin P. Joseph on the day of Chengannur by-poll. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala, however, said that the UDF would not be washed away by the defeat in a by-election. The UDF had won nine of the ten previous by-polls, he said.
Replying to an adjournment notice on the issue, the chief minister alleged that the UDF leaders’ demonstrations following Kevin’s death were in view of the Chenga-nnur by-poll. However, the efforts to capitalise on it did not work as the people could realise the facts. Mr. Chennithala said that following the defeat of LDF in the Aruvikkara by-poll, Mr Pinarayi Vijayan had made a Facebook post justifying the defeat. "I too have the same justification for the UDF’s defeat in Chengannur,” he quipped.
Responding to Mr Vijayan’s dig that the UDF candidate could not get lead even in Chennithala’s home polling booth, the Opposition Leader said the LDF candidates too faced the same situation at the polling booth of Pinarayi Vijayan (Dharmadam) during previous elections.
Though he was staying in Thiruvananthapuram for over 30 years, he had not changed his home polling station, Mr Chennithala said. Meanwhile, Mr Saji Cherian, who won from Chengannur, was sworn in as MLA after question-hour. After taking the oath with solemn affirmation, he greeted Speaker P. Sreeramakr-ishnan, Mr Pinarayi Vijayan, veteran CPM leader V.S. Achuthana-ndan and Mr Ramesh Chennithala.
