THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Contrary to Muslim League general secretary P. K. Kunhalikutty's claim that K. N. A Khader's victory in Vengara is massive, UDF leaders have got different views. While Varghese George, national general secretary of JD (U) told DC that the UDF should probe the low victory margin of the UDF candidate, KC (Jacob) chairman Johnny Nellore claimed it was a 'sparkling victory'. Mr Khader has secured the lowest victory margin of 14,747 votes compared to Mr Kunhalikutty's in the 2016 Assembly elections. Interestingly, Mr Khader got only five vote majority in LDF candidate P. P. Basheer's booth.
Despite Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Hyderali Shihab Thangal and Mr Kunhalikutty rallying behind Mr Khader claiming that he can never get the same vote share of Mr Kunhalikutty, UDF leadership was caught unawares. Varughese George told DC that the UDF leadership should examine the reasons on the reduced margin. “I feel that the solar judicial commission revelation had hit the voters, especially the middle-class voters in Vengara. The next UDF meeting has to discuss the reasons behind the fall in votes for the UDF candidate,” he said.
Another UDF leader too told DC that there had been issues on the candidature of Muslim League candidate despite Kunhalikutty and Khader repeatedly denying so. He feels that probably this was the first time the Muslim League leadership had to keep on denying that all was well with the candidature as there was a difference of opinion. However, KC (M) leader Johnny Nellore rallied behind Kunhalikutty and Khader claiming that the reduced victory margin compared to the previous Assembly elections is nothing serious.
“The victory margin of 23, 310 by Khader against LDF’s P. P. Basheer was on the expected lines. It’s not a small thing to garner as much as 65, 227 votes where Khader had polled more than 60 percent votes. It should be recalled that 19 LDF ministers had been campaigning in Vengara and huge amounts of money were pumped in for the LDF’s campaigning. None of these worked in favour of the LDF”, said Nellore. Meanwhile, UDF and KPCC leadership have not yet decided when to hold the next UDF meeting as well as the Congress party’s high power Political Affairs Committee meeting.
