Outgoing Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy dismissed reports that the Congress votes had shifted to the BJP and insisted that it had shifted to the LDF.
Outgoing Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy dismissed reports that the Congress votes had shifted to the BJP and insisted that it had shifted to the LDF. Earlier, Mr Chandy submitted his resignation letter to governor P. Sathasivam on Friday.
There was a trend of transferring votes to candidates with winning possibilities in constituencies where the BJP had a winning chance. As a result, many votes which would otherwise have gone to the UDF shifted to the left. LDF was the beneficiary of such a shift in Nemom and Kazhakuttom, Mr Chandy said.
He said that in a democracy, people are the last word. “We will go ahead by rectifying the defects,” he said.
“There was no negative sentiment against the UDF government. If that was the case, how can the chief minister and 14 other ministers win the elections ” Mr Chandy asked.
The former CM said that he did not expect a victory for the LDF. Communal undercurrents was one of the reasons for the failure of the UDF, Mr Chandy claimed. “This is only a temporary phenomena and the Congress will come back with strength. The party and front must bear the responsibility for the setback, but as chairman of UDF, I have more responsibility,” he said.
On reports that he was not willing to take up the post of Opposition leader, he said, “It is a matter to be discussed at the party level. I have nothing more to say.”
Mr Chandy alleged that the CPI(M) was trying to sabotage the liquor policy of the government. “The LDF did not respond to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement comparing the state with Somalia. Only UDF leaders came out against the statement,” Mr Chandy said.
He said the UDF and the Congress would be meeting on Monday to discuss the poll debacle and take stock of the situation.
