Palakkad (Kerala), Apr 12 (PTI) Congress MP V K Sreekandan on Sunday said party leader VD Satheesan would not have to go into “vanavas” (exile) as the UDF would secure a thumping victory in the Assembly elections.
Satheesan, the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, had earlier said he was ready to go into political exile if the Congress-led UDF failed to secure a decisive victory in the April 9 polls, the results of which will be announced on May 4.
Speaking to reporters here, Sreekandan said there were some who wanted Satheesan to go into political exile.
“But Satheesan is a leader who approached the people with a clear stand. The people of Kerala will ensure that he does not have to go for political vanavas. The CPI(M) and BJP have their own agendas, which will not work,” he said.
The Palakkad MP said he believes voters in the state have “protected” Satheesan.
“He will not have to go into political vanavas, and the UDF will come to power with a thumping victory,” he said.
On the Chief Ministerial candidate, Sreekandan said the decision would be taken by the Congress leadership after the results, based on the opinion of elected MLAs.
He said the party has several capable leaders, including KC Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and Satheesan, but reiterated that the final decision would be taken collectively after the results.
Sreekandan said the high voter turnout indicated that the Congress would make major gains in Palakkad district.
“We will win at least seven out of the 12 Assembly seats in Palakkad. Last time, we had only two seats from the district, but we made significant gains during the Lok Sabha election, and that will continue,” he said.
Asked which constituencies the UDF would win, he said it could be any.
He also alleged that the CPI(M) had become a “recruitment agency” for the BJP in Palakkad.
“For several years, the CPI(M) has nurtured the BJP in the district, even after the Left party slipped to the third position in elections. They have not learnt their lesson yet. There is an unholy nexus in the Palakkad Assembly seat, after which the CPI(M) was reduced to the third position,” he alleged.
He further claimed that the CPI(M)’s base in Palakkad had collapsed, with its supporters shifting to the BJP.
“In areas where the CPI(M) weakened, the BJP has gained strength. Due to internal tussles, CPI(M) supporters are moving to the BJP,” he said. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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