Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the record turnout in the polls, the LDF, UDF and the BJP-led NDA have claimed victory.
The leaders of the three fronts came out with their respective interpretations and explanations to justify their claims. The LDF camp said that the mandate was against the Narendra Modi government, the BJP-RSS communal agenda and the Congress failure to fight communal and fascist forces.
The LDF leaders said that the front would perform better than the UDF and win at least 14 to 15 seats. They said the BJP would not open its account.
The KPCC hoped for a clean sweep. “It’s a clear mandate against the Narendra Modi and Pinarayi Vijayan governments. The higher voter turnout indicates the anger of the people against the LDF’s Sabarimala stand, politics of violence and Modi’s utter failure to deliver,” said KPCC president Mullapally Ramachandran.
The Congress thinks that the candidature of its president Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad created a wave in favour of the UDF.
The BJP attributed the high voter turnout to the Sabarimala issue and the LDF government’s attack on believers, rituals and customs.
“The stand taken by the CPM and Congress on the Sabarimala issue was rejected by the voters. The NDA got votes from all communities. The polling percentage increased in Thiruvananthapuram because of the triangular fight. Neither the LDF nor the UDF could get the votes of the minorities as they expected," said BJP leader Kummanam Rajashekharan.
