Kottayam (Kerala) [India], March 30 : On a sweltering hot Monday afternoon, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi hopped onto a bicycle after a blistering campaign rally in Kerala's Kottayam on the first day of his two-day extensive election campaigning in the State, which is heading to the polls to elect legislators for its Assembly.
The Congress leader is campaigning for the United Democratic Front's (UDF) push to defeat the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the upcoming polls.
After Adoor, Pathanamthitta and Puthuppally, Rahul Gandhi in his rally in Kottayam took potshots at the LDF, accusing them of not fulfilling promises in 10 years of their governance. He further promised the UDF will fix rubber prices to Rs 250 if chosen in power.
"The LDF in its 2016 manifesto had promised that they will maintain rubber prices at Rs 250. They did not fulfil their promises in the last 10 years. In 2026, they announced a price of Rs 200, when the market price is Rs 220. We are not in the business of making fake promises. In the first Cabinet meeting of the next UDF government, the price of rubber will be fixed at Rs 250. It will be the first decision the Cabinet of Keralam will make," he said.
He also stated that UDF will establish a new ministry to focus on senior citizens' interests and promised to increase their pensions to Rs 3000 per month.
"For senior citizens, we are going to have a new ministry that is going to look after their interests. We are going to increase their pension to Rs 3000...I am giving a speech here, and my mother is in the hospital. I am feeling comfortable here because Kerala nurse is looking after my mother in Delhi," he said.
Polling for Keralam Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
Keralam has traditionally followed an alternating pattern of governance, switching between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the United Democratic Front (UDF) every five years since 1982. This trend was broken in 2021 when the LDF, led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was re-elected for a second consecutive term.
While the LDF and the UDF are frontrunners in the polls, the BJP will attempt to make a mark after its historic win in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections.
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