UDF govt didn't do enough to change perception of people: Shashi Tharoor

Thiruvananthapuram: Expressing disappointment over his party's dismal performance in the Kerala assembly polls, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy did not do enough to change the people's perception in wake of media speculation about the scandals.

Asserting that the Congress would play the role of a constructive opposition, Tharoor welcomed the fact that a number of youngsters were elected to the assembly this time.

"It's disappointing in many ways. The trends are clear that we would not be forming the government this time. We were trying to make history by upsetting the pattern. For four-and-a-half decade, no government has been re-elected in Kerala. We had development record of performance on the ground to change that trend," Tharoor said.

"The government clearly did not do enough to overcome the media speculation about the scandals. I would have thought that the public would have let the courts judge whether there was any wrongdoing. But the public opinion has worked against the government on this occasion," he added.

With the Left Democratic Front (LDF) on track to form the next government in Kerala, Chandy today said win or loss cannot be defined in a democracy, but added that he would analyze the reasons for UDF's poor show.

In Kerala, the LDF took the lead and posted victory in 81 seats. UDF has won 16.