Malappuram, Dec 6 Kerala Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and senior Congress leader, V.D. Satheesan, said here on Saturday that the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) is poised for an emphatic victory in the upcoming state local body elections, which will serve as the "semi-final" ahead of the Assembly polls.
According to the LoP, a strong "anti-government" wave is sweeping across Kerala, fuelled by public anger over corruption scandals, administrative failures, and widespread discontent across sectors.
LoP Satheesan said the UDF entered the election with unprecedented organisational readiness, forming ward committees a year in advance, and conducting extensive door-to-door campaigns and family meets.
This time, the Congress-led UDF front faces virtually no internal disputes, while Congress rebel candidates have come down drastically.
In contrast, the CPI-M is dealing with statewide rebel trouble, Lop Satheesan said.
A major factor shaping the poll campaign, Satheesan stressed, is the Kerala government's inability to address the fallout of the Sabarimala gold theft.
N. Vasu and A. Padmakumar, the two former Travancore Devaswom Board Presidents -- considered close to the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan -- are in jail, yet the CPI-M has not taken any disciplinary action against them because it fears further disclosures, the LOP alleged.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), too, is under pressure, with the Kerala government attempting to delay arrests until after the elections, Satheesan claimed.
The Opposition leader launched a political attack on the LDF government, accusing it of presiding over unprecedented price rise for eight consecutive months and plunging the agriculture, education and fisheries sectors into crisis.
"Kerala's economy is in shambles. Even SC/ST students are denied e-grants. Forest-fringe communities are left at the mercy of wild animal attacks," Satheesan said.
He also criticised the state government's silence on the repeated collapse of national highway works, including the recent incident at Kottiyam in Kollam district that endangered schoolchildren.
"These are corruption-built constructions. Yet the state refuses to raise a single complaint with the Centre," he said, alleging a covert political understanding between the CPI-M and BJP.
LoP Satheesan dismissed Chief Minister Vijayan's criticism of the UDF's ties with the Welfare Party, pointing instead to decades-long CPI-M-Jamaat-e-Islami relations, citing editorials, public meetings and past alliances.
"Those who walked with Jamaat-e-Islami for 42 years now question us," he said.
Responding to queries on party discipline, LoP Satheesan said the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee acted decisively by expelling an accused leader within 24 hours of receiving a complaint.
"Which other party in India has shown such integrity?" he asked, contrasting it with Ministers in the current Cabinet who allegedly face sexual misconduct charges.
On electoral prospects, LoP Satheesan predicted UDF gains in eight to nine district panchayats, victories in four of the six corporations, and a substantial rise in municipal bodies.
"The UDF has succeeded in setting the election agenda. Kerala is discussing our charges and our alternative roadmap. The CPI-M is on the defensive," he said.
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