New Delhi, May 2, 2021-
As the counting of votes reached the last few rounds across the state’s 140 Assembly constituencies, the LDF is leading in the majority of seats, with the Congress-led United Democratic Front trailing. Former CPM Secretary General Prakash Karat said that this mandate is for the work done for the people by the incumbent government.
Karat said, “In the past 40 years no government has been re-elected for a second successive term and this is a significant mandate by the people which shows that the people of Kerala appreciated the work of the Pinarayi Vijayan government — the way it tackled the floods, COVID pandemic and its pro-people development in the state.”
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, of late addressed by many in the social media as ‘Captain’, seems set to justify the title by creating history by leading the Left Democratic Front to its second consecutive victory, a feat which bucks an over 40-year-old trend in the state’s electoral politics.
The Left’s stunning performance can be attributed to no one other than Vijayan who led from the front.
In the 2016 polls, it was party stalwart V.S. Achuthanandan who played that role. After the Left won, Vijayan stepped in to take the Chief Minister’s post, while Achuthanandan was given the post of ‘Kerala Castro’.
Vijayan, despite facing problems over various issues, stood his ground and boldly went forward. His writ ran large when it came to selecting party candidates, with seven ministers and 26 legislators left out.
Even with a few rounds of counting left, senior Congress leader and MP Benny Behanan said they accept the verdict and will sit down and discuss to find out what went wrong. (Agency)
