Kochi: The exuberance shown by BJP leaders about the party making substantial gains in the assembly polls in the state has been given away for more realistic assessment the day after the polls. The comments made by top leaders of the party on Tuesday signals that the party is taking an anticipatory bail if the results live up to its expectations on Thursday.
BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan has told reporters that Congress-led United Democratic Front and CPM-led Left Democratic Front has indulged in cross voting in Nemam and Vattiyoorkkavu seats in Thiruvananthapuram with the sole intention of defeating the NDA candidates.
Although the BJP leader has expressed the hope that the party will overcome such tactics persons familiar with intricacies of the voting pattern feel that the BJP leadership is jittery over the number of votes polled by the party candidates. Kummanam contesting in Vattiyoorkkavu is opposed by K Muraleedharan of the Congress and TN Seema of CPM.
Veteran leader and the party candidate O. Rajagopal in Nemam also echoed the opinion of Kummanam and said that the Congress workers were not even visible in many parts of the constituency during the poll day, giving a firm indication that the Congress has not voted for V. Surendran Pillai, the UDF candidate in Nemom.
Rajagopal however, said that despite such unholy alliance between the LDF and UDF he will romp home with a majority of around 8,000 votes. The BJP leader is pitted against V Sivankutty of CPM in Nemam. PS Sreedharan Pillai, a former BJP president and the NDA nominee in Chengannoor constituency, has also alleged that UDF and LDF engaged in cross voting.
