Power cuts, health sector issues eroded UDF support: Pinarayi Vijayan on local body bypoll results

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the local body byelection results reflected an erosion in the support the UDF secured in the Assembly elections.

Vijayan said the decline in public support had occurred within four months of the UDF government assuming office and attributed it to power cuts, the alleged deterioration of the health sector, the suspension of welfare measures and delays in development projects.

He also alleged that the Chief Minister and ministers were misusing their positions through the "sponsorship of industrialists and power brokers" and had failed to provide timely relief to victims of natural disasters.

The government was also "devolving" into one that offered freebies to big corporates and the liquor lobby while implementing the Sangh Parivar agenda, Vijayan said in a Facebook post welcoming the bypoll results.

"The elections reflected the people's deep resentment and distrust towards the government for all these reasons," he added.

Vijayan said the LDF had performed strongly in several areas where the UDF had enjoyed a clear advantage in the previous local body elections.

"The LDF managed to capture seven seats, including the sitting seats of two UDF MLAs. In places where UDF MLAs had won, such as the Thrikkodithanam division of the Kottayam district panchayat and the Paruthikav ward of Chittur municipality, the people stood firmly with the LDF. The majority fell sharply in wards in Mananthavady, Adoor, Perambra, Tripunithura and Vamanapuram, where MLAs had won.

"In a ward of the Kozhikode Corporation where a UDF MLA had won by 2,273 votes, the UDF's lead fell to 436. The UDF lost three seats in Thiruvananthapuram district. The LDF won five of the seven seats in Palakkad district. In the Kallara division, the UDF's majority fell from 5,683 to 3,019. The seat could be retained because the BJP's 4,155 votes fell.

"The LDF won both seats where elections were held in Kannur. One of these was captured from the UDF. In Kottayam and Palakkad districts, two seats each were captured from the UDF,” Vijayan said.

He described the results as a strong protest against what he termed the policy failures of the UDF government. Vijayan also said the results were a response from voters to those who had mocked the Left after its defeat in the Assembly elections.

"These results are a declaration that Kerala will always cherish the Left, which does not get tired in the face of crises and works with the people," he said.

He thanked LDF workers for their efforts and said the public support would give the Left greater energy to work among the people. He termed the bypoll results a strong warning to the UDF government.