Thiruvananthapuram, June 6 (IANS) With the ruling Left Democratic Front virtually wiped out in the Lok Sabha polls again the session of the Kerala Assembly, beginning on Monday, is expected to be stormy as the Congress-led opposition will train its guns on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on a host of issues.
Vijayan had led a state-wide bus ride along with his entire cabinet to kick-start the campaign but the results showed that he was unable to improve upon the 2019 tally of one seat, while the BJP also opened its account in the state for the first time.
What was even more damaging for Vijayan was the CPI-M’s dismal performance in its strongholds of north Kerala like Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, and Palakkad. Popular CPI-M leader and former Health Minister K.K.Shailaja was beaten by young Congress legislator Shafi Parambil, while another sitting CPI-M lawmaker V. Joy suffered defeat – by less than 700 votes.
Sensing trouble in the upcoming Assembly session, veteran CPI-M leader and LDF convener E.P. Jayarajan on Thursday held that the verdict has nothing to do with the record of the Vijayan government and instead, people in Kerala voted for the Congress to stop the BJP.
However, the Congress-led opposition is getting ready with a list of the corrupt dealings of the Vijayan government which includes the bar scam, the ongoing probe against his daughter’s IT firm by the ED, the SFIO and the Income Tax departments, the K-Fon (Kerala Fibre-Optic Network) and AI cameras installation, in which a relative of Vijayan has got the contract.
Adding to Vijayan’s woes is that various courts in the state are looking into these issues.
Moreover, CPI veteran C. Divakaran on Thursday fired the first salvo, complaining things are going worse for the ruling Left and demanding a change in leadership. Then, the third biggest party of the LDF – the Kerala Congress-M is upset as its party Chairman Jose K.Mani is unlikely to get a renomination to the Rajya Sabha as the CPI has staked claim to it.
Vijayan now appears to be on the back foot and with the Congress’ aggressive attack, it remains to be seen how the Left allies will come to his support as he passes through one of his worst times.
–IANS
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