Thrissur (Kerala), Mar 31 (PTI) CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan on Tuesday alleged that the BJP can win seats in Kerala only with the support of the Congress.
His remarks come at a time when the UDF, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, is alleging an agreement between the LDF and the BJP in the assembly election.
Addressing a press conference here, Govindan claimed that in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP candidate Suresh Gopi won from Thrissur with the support of the Congress.
He said that in the 2024 election, Congress saw an 84,000-vote reduction, while the BJP candidate won by about 74,000 votes in the Thrissur parliamentary constituency.
At the same time, the LDF increased its vote share by around 16,000 votes in the constituency, he said.
“Only with the support of the Congress can the BJP win any seat in Kerala. This is evident from Suresh Gopi’s victory in the parliamentary elections,” Govindan alleged.
He further claimed that the BJP’s only Assembly election victory in the state — from Nemom in 2016 — also happened with Congress support.
Alleging tacit understanding at the local level, Govindan said that during the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections, Congress votes helped the BJP win in 41 divisions, pushing Congress candidates to third place.
“For helping the Congress, BJP also voted in favour of Congress candidates in 21 divisions,” he alleged.
Responding to Congress’ allegations that the SDPI is supporting the LDF, Govindan said that Jamaat-e-Islami and its political wing, the Welfare Party, have openly declared support for the UDF, but this is not being discussed.
“Why are they not saying that they do not want votes of communal forces?” he asked.
He asserted that the CPI(M) or the LDF has not entered into any pact with communal parties.
“There is a strong fake campaign being carried out against the LDF,” he said.
Govindan also claimed that constituencies where the UDF traditionally had an upper hand, including Thrissur, are now favouring the LDF.
He said that the LDF has successfully countered communalism in the state.
“In the last 10 years, the LDF has led the state without communal riots or conflicts. We are campaigning that the fight against communalism should continue and priority should be given to humanity,” he said.
He alleged that both the UDF and the BJP are unable to discuss development issues in their election campaigns.
“The Congress-led UDF is the first opposition front in the world that has claimed that no development will be allowed. They say they will not support development projects,” he alleged. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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