Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram DCC president Palode Ravi on Saturday dismissed the controversial audio clip attributed to him as merely a cautionary message intended for a Congress worker.

“Congress needs to be extremely vigilant. We are facing a tight three-way contest and cannot afford to be complacent. What I said was that we must stand united and set aside internal differences,” Ravi told the media.

He added that while leaking private conversations was inappropriate, he was not rattled by the incident. “I am a senior leader in the Congress party. I am not threatened by this. I won't be taking any action over the leak, the party leadership will decide the next steps,” he said.

The audio clip features Palode Ravi stating that the Congress party will become irrelevant and that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is poised to retain power for a third consecutive term in the next local body elections. The conversation reportedly took place over the phone with a local leader.

“In the panchayat elections, Congress will slip to third place. In the Assembly elections too, we will fare poorly. Congress will come third in around 60 constituencies. The LDF will continue in power, and this will mark Congress’s decline,” Ravi is heard saying.

He also claims that many who currently claim allegiance to Congress will shift to the BJP or other parties. “Congress has people on the ground in only 10 percent of areas. There is no sincerity or mutual affection among workers,” the voice in the clip adds.

The timing of the leak, just ahead of the local polls, has raised eyebrows. KPCC president Sunny Joseph said he would speak to Palode Ravi and seek an explanation on the matter.