We accept people’s mandate, ready for rectification, says LDF convener on poll debacle

Thiruvananthapuram: LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan on Tuesday said the state government had accepted the people’s verdict in the local body elections and was ready to rectify its faults. He was addressing the media after a crucial LDF meeting held to discuss the setback in the polls.

Ramakrishnan said the LDF government had remained focused on public welfare and implemented several development projects across the state. Accepting the defeat, he said the front would conduct a detailed review of the election results.

However, he did not comment on the alleged anti-incumbency wave in this polls. 

“We will examine the reasons behind the poll debacle. We have decided to rectify our mistakes by accepting the people’s mandate. Future projects will be planned only after a detailed review of the election results. In today’s meeting, we decided to hold in-depth discussions in the first week of January. Our focus will continue to be on public welfare, and we will ensure that no opportunistic decisions are taken in the future,” Ramakrishnan said.

He made the remarks amid criticism of the LDF government following its defeat in the local body polls. 

Allegations related to the Sabarimala gold scam and accusations against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan are believed to have influenced voters against the LDF.

“We are considering all analyses related to the LDF’s defeat with utmost seriousness,” he said.

At the same time, Ramakrishnan criticised the Centre’s move to replace the MGNREGA scheme with the proposed VB-GRAM Bill. “At present, the Centre bears the full financial responsibility for the scheme. The new proposal will shift the burden to the states. Removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme is condemnable, and the LDF will strongly protest against it,” he said.

Continuing his criticism of the Centre, Ramakrishnan said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could result in the removal of nearly 25 lakh voters from the electoral list. On Monday, the Chief Election Officer had announced that around 25 lakh voters were found untraceable during the SIR exercise.

He further alleged that the Election Commission of India was ignoring the views of political parties and was attempting to hastily conclude the SIR process.