India News | Campaigning Ends for Keralam Assembly Polls, 48-hour Silence Period Begins
by ANI · LatestLYThiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], April 7 (ANI): The last day of campaigning for the Keralam assembly polls drew to a sizzling close on Tuesday with a high-voltage political "roast," which turned to be the highlight of a long, sweltering and humid day.
The almost a month-long campaigning by political parties came to a close at 6 pm today and the State entered the mandatory 48-hour silence period ahead of polling for the 140-seat Assembly.
The election is seen as a contest between the ruling LDF and opposition UDF, with the BJP-led NDA, which has been gaining vote share, also hopeful of its prospects in the southern state.
Left Democratic Front holds 99 seats in the current assembly and is aiming for a third consecutive term on its performance and welfare schemes. The LDF created a record in 2021 as it retained the southern state, which has over the decades, seen power alternating between the coalitions led by CPI(M) and Congress. The elections are crucial for the Left front as Kerala is the only state where it is in power, having been squeezed in Tripura and West Bengal.
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Having missed the bus in 2021, the Congress-led United Democratic Front is hopeful of winning the assembly polls riding on its promises and what its leaders call a "yearning for change". The UDF is hoping for an anti-incumbency against the Left Front government.
Apart from seeking to expand its base, the BJP has an ambition to form a government in the southern state where it has not been a major power traditionally.
Earlier today, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is contesting from Dharmadom in Kannur, responded with characteristic Malayali sarcasm to his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy's barb borrowed from an Mohanlal film.
Reddy had, during campaigning in the State claimed that the "expiry" date of Vijayan was over and claimed that the CPI(M) leader's "godfather" Prime Minister Narendra Modi was protecting him from ongoing legal cases.
He had tweaked the popular "Po Mone Dinesha" from the movie to "NeePo Mone Vijaya" and repeated the diatribe in a letter addressed to the Kerala CM posted on his X platform.
Vijayan while addressing a press meeting in Kannur today retorted, "Dash Mone Revantha, the reply to you is coming soon." The Keralam CM then proceeded to post a thread of posts on his X platform arguing that Reddy's statements lacked "factual backing."
Reddy subsequently replied to Vijayan "garu" with a "final response" saying he unlike Vijayan "wont use language of poor taste" and "won't respond with a rash comment to a dash comment.."
Reddy posed questions to Vijayan over poverty, corruption and development in Keralam.
Vijayan also said that despite limited campaign time, the people of Keralam are firmly with the LDF, and there is no anti-incumbency sentiment in the state, which has left the opposition disappointed.
He claimed that 97% of the promises made in the 2021 elections have been fulfilled, and that the government has successfully combined development and welfare initiatives over the past ten years. A day ago he presented the progress report highlighting key achievements of his government's 10-year rule.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor today said the Left Front-led government has mired Kerala in severe levels of debt and it "does not deserve a third term". "Certainly anti-incumbency is there in Kerala, I've seen it... People want to see the UDF come to power. So I think they can whistle in the dark about no anti-incumbency."
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said the Congress-led UDF is confident of securing 100 seats in the ensuing Assembly election.
Other Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and KC Venugopal, also trained their guns at the "corrupt" Left Democratic Front (LDF)-led government accusing it of "making deals with the BJP."
BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Shivraj Chauhan among others campaigned in Keralam and held road shows. They alleged that "LDF and UDF have destroyed Keralam".
Both the CPI(M)-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF have been riddled with defections while the NDA also faced troubles over distribution of its seats to ally Twenty20.
In Kottarakara, senior CPI(M) leader and three-time MLA Aisha Potty is fighing on a Congress (UDF) ticket and is pitted against the LDF's KN Balagopal.
In Nemom constituency, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is taking on incumbent MLA and Minister V Sivankutty.
In Vattiyurkavu, LDF's VK Prasanth is in a three-way contest against K Muraleedharan of the Congress and NDA's R Sreelekha.
In Pala, LDF ally Jose K Mani of the Kerala Congress (Mani) is in the fray.
A former minister and four-time MLA, after leaving the CPI (M) is contesting as an independent from Ambalappuzha with UDF support.
PK Sasi is contesting from Ottapalam. In Thrissur, Padmaja Venugopal of the BJP(NDA) is in fray against UDF's Rajan Pallan and LDF candidate Alancode Leelakrishnan.
In Palakkad, actor Ramesh Pisharody of the UDF is facing Shoba Surendran the BJP (NDA) candidate.
The Aranmula Assembly constituency in Pathanamthitta district is witnessing a keenly contested battle as incumbent MLA Veena George of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) is seeking re-election.
Key contenders in the constituency include Congress candidate Abin Varkey Kodiyattu and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kummanam.Rajasekharan.
CPI(M)'s Kadakampally Surendran faces BJP's V Muraleedharan in Kazhakkoottam, setting the stage for one of the most closely watched battles in the Keralam elections. Congress has fielded Advocate Sarathchandra Prasad.
In Kalamaserry, it is a direct rematch between sitting MLA P Rajeev (LDF) and VE Abdul Gafoor (UDF), with the NDA fielding MP Binu of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS).
In Paravoor, the Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan is seeking a sixth consecutive victory. LDF has fielded Taison Master. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)