Senior Congress leader K. Muraleedharan on Sunday claimed a strong pro-United Democratic Front (UDF) wave is evident across the State ahead of the local body elections. Public sentiments, he added, clearly indicated a desire to bring the Congress-led coalition back to power.
Lashing out at the alleged administrative lapses of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Mr. Muraleedharan also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of supporting corruption within the civil body.
“BJP and CPI(M) have been functioning like a joint force in the Corporation. UDF, on the other hand, has raised several pertinent issues at the council, despite having a thin strength of 10 councillors,” he said, while addressing media persons here.
Mr. Muraleedharan added that the CPI (M)’s decision not to field the incumbent Mayor Arya Rajendran in the election campaign, and even denying her a seat clearly indicated its governance failure. “In the previous election, even when the position (of Mayor) was reserved for women, the then sitting Mayor was given a ticket,” he pointed out.
He expressed confidence that the UDF’s campaign and the prevailing political climate could help the coalition win up to 55 seats. The CPI(M)’s campaign strategy, which largely centred on portraying itself as the only force capable of countering the BJP, has failed this time, he said.
The Congress leader also opined that the controversy surrounding Palakkad MLA, Rahul Mamkootathil, who has been accused of sexual assault, would not affect the UDF’s electoral prospect “even by 1%”. “We have successfully exposed the Sabarimala gold misappropriation case and the administrative failures of the LDF government. We also repeatedly highlighted corruption, nepotism and the LDF’s secret understanding with the Centre throughout this election,” Mr. Muraleedharan added.
Published – December 07, 2025 07:14 pm IST
